


Episode I: The Phantom Menace

by StormWolfe



Series: Hearts of Kyber [1]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Also emotional trauma?, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, I Am Sorry, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Please enjoy!, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Yes Jar Jar is here, Young Anakin Skywalker, child reader pov, child!Anakin, fight scenes too, literally the first movie plus, tags are difficult, welcome to our disaster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-05-14 09:47:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 31
Words: 43,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19270753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormWolfe/pseuds/StormWolfe
Summary: For over four thousand years, the Jedi have been guardians of peace throughout the galaxy. But now, a menace lurks in the shadows of the Republic. Whispers swirl of the return of the Sith and their Dark Lord, but the Jedi have dismissed these rumours as tool of creating political unrest. To try and ease the situation, two Jedi have been dispatched to the planet of Naboo, where they hope to restore balance between neighboring systems.The discovery of two powerful force sensitives, as well as a lost species, brings hope to the Jedi, but also fear and distrust of what the fulfillment of a prophecy may mean.*Part 2: The Padawan Chronicles now live*





	1. Crawl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to our disaster!  
> I have big plans for this, as this is not only my first Star Wars fic, but also my first fic series. This first installment is also mostly complete, so there will be minimal wait times as I finish polishing it up.  
> I will also add more tags when possible.

Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute. 

Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo. While the congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and justice in the Galaxy, to settle the conflict...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will also be lots of preserved content from the original work, credit directly to George Lucas and Lucasfilms themselves, such as this crawl. All characters credit to the same, except the reader, and the obvious superimposed changes of plot and dialogue for the sake of fanfiction.


	2. Watto's Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!  
> The first chapter was not clickbait, I swear.
> 
> Please keep your remaining arms and legs inside the starship at all times, and enjoy the ride!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't let the lack of indents disturb you. I will fix them when I'm not operating strictly on mobile!  
> I just got too excited and decided you guys needed more than an intro you could have read just by watching the movie.
> 
> Thanks!

_Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy._

_-F. Scott Fitzgerald_

You scrubbed listlessly at the hot, painted metal, doing your best to clean off the thick, sandy residue that had collected on its surface. The suns beat down on you relentlessly, and you squinted, trying your best to block the glare as you polished the scrap shell pieces for various ships and racing pods. Normally, Watto only ever required they be dusted off. With the upcoming pod race, and the outsiders who would travel to Tatooine to watch, or rather, gamble in the hopes of repaying a Hutt, parts of all kinds would be in high demand. You huffed out an overheated pant as you stacked the piece you had been working on atop other gleaming scrap, and slithered off the crate you had been perched on. The scrap burned your hands as you scooped up the pile, and you quickly dumped it in a corner of the small lot, casting a spare covering cloth over the stack to keep any more sand from undoing your hard work. The far off sounds of bazaar music followed you as you gathered the spare bits of hardware you had hidden beneath a work table, slipping them into a hidden pocket of your white dress, and the music faded altogether as you gratefully ducked into the shade of the shop. The heat was very little cooler, but merely escaping the searing focus of the suns made it seem a much greater reprieve.

“The shells are polished,” you announced, skirting the grumpy Toydarian that sat behind the front counter. Watto nodded, scratching at what could only be called his beard.

“Wash that dirt off and help Ani reorganize the ship hardware. Hurry up,” he barked, narrowing his buggy eyes at you. “This shop _will_ be in order when the race crowds come in for last minute supplies and spare parts.”

You nodded, turning on your heel and quickly making your way to the bathroom. Watto was always snippy under stress, and he seemed to be in a mood today. The bathroom door slid open before you and you slipped inside, turning the sink on a low flow. It only ran a matter of seconds at a time, in any case, but you plugged the drain and painstakingly filled the basin partway. The cool water closed over your reddened, blistered hands in a burst of relief, seeming to wash away the ache that had arisen between contact with hot metal and the pulling of drying pod wax on your hands. Pod wax was not practical for polishing the ship scrap, you knew, but it made it look nice, and that was what Watto cared about, not whether it would protect the repair from the stress of exiting and entering atmospheres, much less the stress of a hyperdrive's speed. If the parts were bought for repair, he made money, and money was what Watto cared about. He saw no need to provide proper ship wax for those pieces. You pressed the button to release the drain and watched as the water, black with grease and polish and sand, swirled away into the pipe.

You afforded your hands one last cool rinse to make sure the residue was gone before you dried them, quickly heading for the back room where the smaller ship parts were kept. The floor to ceiling shelves, normally piled high with parts stuck where they would fit, were barren, and the shelves’ inhabitants were scattered around the room in piles, with Anakin Skywalker seated in the center of the chaos.

“Watto wants me to help you finish up in here,” you said, weaving your way through the piles to where he sat. “What do you need help with?”

He looked up, giving the gear he held a quick once-over polish before tossing it into a pile. “These piles are ready to go back up,” he said, giving a wide gesture at the piles of parts behind him, each piece giving off a gleam that would be attractive to potential buyers. “I've gotta polish the rest still.”

You wordlessly headed for the piles of clean parts, each one separated by what vessel it went to, and began reorganizing their contents on the shelves. Parts for common ships went on the low shelves, where it would be easy for you and Ani to reach. The more unusual parts went up high where Watto could reach easier, mostly because he preferred to personally handle such customers, rather than send one of you.

“Why did he make you polish these?” You asked, looking over some of the pieces as you organized them into neat stacks and rows on the tan shelves.

“Heck if I know,” he said sullenly, half-heartedly scrubbing another part. “They're all just gonna get gross again anyway.”

“That's an understatement,” you agreed. Many of them would be going in areas of ships that were most certainly not clean, much less polished. You dropped your voice. “He's obsessing. He should know that most of this would sell if someone needed it, polished or not.”

“Well, what other shop sells polished landing gear pads and shiny power converters?” Ani joked, and neither of you could resist a grin.

You finished sorting the finished piles and sat beside him, picking up a cloth and dousing it in polish. Ani looked at your nearly blistered hands with an angry glare, but said nothing as you worked. Together you gave the remaining parts a fast wipe, knowing the majority of the work was futile, but the time seemed to fly as you chattered away. The shop door jingled a few times, but you heard Watto handle the customers out front without calling for either of you.

“Ani,” you began hesitantly, shelving the last of the parts. “Have you been feeling,” you searched for the word, fidgeting with your rolled up sleeves, “strange today?”

“Strange how?” He grabbed the broom, making a quick circuit through to banish the dust and dirt residue from the room.

“You know how I mean. Like something is different, but you don't know why.” You met his blue eyes, and understanding passed between you both. “Something seems like it's gonna change, but I can't tell what.”

Ani nodded, propping the broom in the corner. You both listened for Watto, and heard the slow, droning snores of him napping out in the main room. “I can feel that too. I think we're just nervous about the race.” He shrugged, giving the room a once over. Some sand coating the switches of the fans caught his eye and he gathered his polishing rag, plopping down and scrubbing at the offending dirt. “I dunno. Maybe it means we'll actually win for once tomorrow.”

You considered it for a moment before gathering your own rag and joining him, knowing you were both stalling to avoid your next tasks. “Maybe. I don't think so. I don't think Watto will let us race, even if we do tell him about the pod.” A flutter of excitement and anxiety for the race tickled your ribs, but it was completely different from the persistent tug of warning settled deep in your stomach.

“Well, last time you got that feeling, Watto bet everything on Sebulba and won. We got the bad end of the race, but he did buy us and Mom some new clothes with the winnings,” he supplied, shrugging. “He might let us race just so he can bet on that Dug again.” You nodded, knowing that it wasn't the same as that either, but debating something you couldn't put your finger on was quickly frustrating you.

“I just hope it's nothing bad,” you sighed, wiping your hands on a clean rag and discarding it and the cleaning rag in the bin to be washed later.

Ani nodded in agreement, taking your hand reassuringly. “I'm sure everything will be okay. What's the worst that could happen?”

 


	3. Qui-Gon and Padmé

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter!  
> Jar-Jar is a literal walking disaster, you are Sensitive, and Anakin is too pure for his own good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might start doing 2x a day updates as of today (originally I was going to go daily), because otherwise we'll be here all month, and as much as I want to finish writing Episode II before this is over posting, a month is a long time!   
> I also should work on my other fics. And start fixing the indent issues here. Oops.  
> Enjoy!

There were a few worse things you could think of than living in slaves’ poverty and working for Watto, but the shop bell chimed before you could list any, saving yourself and Anakin a rather depressing and bleak conversation for a pair of nine year olds. You both froze, listening on reflex to Watto's words.

 

“Ani, (y/n), get in here,” he called, and you exchanged a look.

 

“Race you,” you chirped, and you both bolted from the room, sprinting down the hall with grins plastered on your faces. Despite your situation, you both found little things to enjoy, small glimmers of hope that things might someday be better.

 

“What took you so long?” Watto snapped at the pair of you, hovering impatiently. His arms were crossed and he licked across his broken teeth. You fought the urge to wrinkle your nose in disgust.

 

“We were cleaning the fan switches,” Anakin began to explain, but Watto dismissed him as fast as he had acknowledged the pair of you.

 

“Watch the store. I have selling to do.” A tall, slightly greying man in a poncho followed Watto's hovering form past you, and offered you a quick, polite smile as he glided past. You smiled back, not sure if he had seen before he went back to his business. You broke into a full grin as a droid, a blue and white R2 unit, rolled past after them, beeping and whistling as its head swiveled from side to side, taking in the shop.

 

Anakin had crossed the room and hopped up on the front counter, and was now speaking to a girl several years older than the both of you, chattering on about his lifelong career as a pilot. It wasn't a lie, Watto had you both on the track for his wagers from the time you were old enough to figure out the pod controls.

 

“You're a slave?” she asked, astonished at whatever realization Anakin's conversation had brought her to.

 

“We're people!” You snapped, harsher than you meant to. She looked stricken, but half the expression was leftover from discovering you were slaves.

 

“And my name is Anakin,” he finished, rolling easily off your small outburst. “Hers is (y/n).”

 

While you felt bad for the tone you had taken, it had been dismissed quickly in favor of further conversation between the pair. Your gaze drifted from her to the other visitor in the store, and all you could do was stare. His gawky amphibian form lumbered around clumsily, looking closely at everything lined up on the shelves, the floor, and anywhere else spare parts could be put. He curiously bopped the head of a small droid, activating it and sending it running around the shop.

 

“Bop the nose,” Ani sighed. You shared a look, knowing that you would both be responsible for cleaning up the mess left in their wake later. As he went back to talking to the girl--Padmé, from what you had gathered--you approached the strange amphibian man, if he could be called a man, who seemed scared to move for fear of setting off another chain reaction of chaos.

 

“What are you?” You asked, crossing your arms and looking up at him. He crouched and you took a step back, narrowly avoiding being jabbed in the nose by his duckbill. “I don't mean to be rude. I've seen a lot of odd outlanders here, but I've never seen anything like you.”

 

“Mees'a Gungan!” He exclaimed cheerfully, seeming more than thrilled to answer your question. “Mees’a name is Jar-Jar. Jar-Jar Binks! Wees'a from the Naboo!”

 

You furrowed your brow. “Naboo? You're a long way from home. What brings you here?” If there was anything you could guarantee about Jar-Jar, it was that he was certainly not from a desert climate.

 

“Mees'a has a life debt! Mees'a their humble servant,” he explained. Your eyes widened.

 

“They’re keeping you against your will?” you asked, anger rising in your gut. You were beginning to regret having smiled at the greying man who followed Watto. You were polite to most customers, but you rarely suffered known slave owners basic manners. If Watto had ever noticed, he had never said anything.

 

“No no no,” Jar-Jar said urgently, his long ears flopping as he violently shook his head. “They'sa saved me! Gungans believin’ in life debt, we’sa grateful for we'sa life bein’ saved!”

 

You nodded, understanding what he meant this time around. You could feel yourself visibly relax as hot embarrassment crept up your ears. “Oh, I see. Sorry. That was nice of them, to save you I mean.”

 

Jar-Jar's ears flopped as he nodded in earnest, a strange bobbing motion with his neck being the way it was. The room fell silent as the poncho-clad man strode back into the room, his face set in a decidedly frustrated expression. He offered both yourself and Ani another smile before summoning Padmé and Jar-Jar to his side and taking his leave.

Padmé looked back, giving Anakin a sweet smile. “I am glad to have met you.”

“I'm glad to have met you too,” was his small reply, and she lingered only a moment longer before turning and following her companions.

 

Watto drifted out from the hall, stubby trunk nose wobbling as he shook his head. He gave you and Ani a look that said he didn't make the sale. “Outlanders. They think we know nothing.”

 

“They seemed nice enough to me,” Ani countered.

 

You nodded in agreement. “Nicer than some of the outlanders we get through here.”

 

Watto rolled his bulbous eyes, taking in the small trail of chaos strung through the shop. He shook his head again, and you could see the resignation in his expression. “Clean the racks, you two. Then you can go home.”

 

Anakin lunged off the counter with a squeal of delight, and you chased after him, more than ready to leave the shop and Watto's grumpy attitude behind. You each grabbed a rag, and starting from the opposite ends of the racks, you cleaned them to meet in the middle. In fact, it became a wordless race punctuated by triumphant smirks and playful shoves out of the way as you raced to the next rack, each of you rushing to clean your portion first. When the last rack had been cleaned off, you both flung your rags at the bin in the corner haphazardly, and both landed inside as you ran past. Watto gave a half wave as the pair of you snatched up your bags and sprinted out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun facts: Originally I was going to start this from Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan doing negotiations, but there just wasn't anything more to add at that point because of where you (given you are reading this, it's roundabout to say "the reader") come in in the story.


	4. The Sandstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Anakin unofficially join Qui-Gon's group. Sebulba is an asshole. You probably spend too much time talking to and making unlikely passing friends with the less-human-friendly droids who come through Mos Espa and Watto's shop. Anakin is starstruck. All is right in the world, for now.

“I cannot believe that girl called us slaves,” you said, huffing as you gasped for air. You had both sprinted from the shop until you ran out of breath, letting the hot wind in your hair lure you into a false sense of freedom, and now you were strolling along the street. The music from the bazaar grew louder as you drew closer. “Just because it's true doesn't mean it defines us. I think people forget that we're people too.”

 Anakin nodded, panting just as badly. “She didn't know. She actually purposely called me Anakin after that!” He grinned widely, seeming positively delighted that he had the chance to speak to Padmé.  

 “I think she was flattered that you called her an angel,” you teased. “She was really pretty, though.” You weren't entirely sure if he was listening; he seemed fairly lost in his thoughts, and if the smile on his face was anything to go by, he was thinking about her.

 “Do you think we'll ever see her again?” He looked around as you turned down the street to the bazaar, as if he were expecting her to be waiting there for him.

 “Maybe. If they need a part and Watto wouldn't sell it, they might be looking around at other shops for something similar.” Anakin's smile widened, and you felt a tiny pang of jealousy. You knew it was irrational; outlanders never stayed in Mos Espa long, much less on the planet itself if they could help it. You pushed the emotion away, deciding that you were just happy to see Anakin smiling as broadly as he was, for once.

 A loud commotion and some yelling drew your attention, and the pair of you looked to see Jar-Jar, mouth around a roast animal of some sort, being yelled at by the vendor that he needed to pay for it. As you watched, Jar-Jar let go, and the rack catapulted it directly into the back of the sitting area. You heard a familiar yell of offense, and exchanged a glance with Anakin before you took off running in unison. By the time you made it through the crowd, Jar-Jar was flat on his back, the roast animal he had been chewing being shaken in his face. The foot shaking it was attached to none other than Sebulba, who had apparently been slapped across the face by the offending morsel. You saw the poncho man from earlier and Padmé making their way back through the crowd to Jar-Jar, and quickly stepped forward to intervene before they arrived to find a froggish pulp.

 “Sebulba!” You snapped, and the Dug's sneering face snapped to you with a wiggle of his beaded whiskers. Anakin jumped in, smirking as you both stalked up to him.

 “Careful, Sebulba,” Anakin warned, his smirk never fading as he drawled in Huttese. “He's a big time Outlander, and he's very well connected. I'd hate to see you get diced before we race again.”

Sebulba bared his teeth, looking ready to lunge at his throat. “Next time we race, boy, it will be the end of you. If you weren't a slave, I'd squash you right now.”

 It was your turn to sneer as you narrowed your eyes. “I'd like to see you try, meatbag.” Anakin put a hand on your elbow, ready to either hold you back or haul you out of the line of attack.

 Sebulba surprised you both by narrowing his eyes and growling in quiet threat. He considered you both before letting out a short bark of a laugh. “Watch it, little girl. You're either brave, or stupid. I'll go with the latter. Squashing _you_ isn't worth my time.”

 Ani glared at the Dug. “Yeah, it would be a pity if you had to pay for us.”

 Sebulba sneered again, not deigning to respond as he hauled his little body back over the tables with his long, spider like arms. He threw you another glare as he plunked down in his seat again, ripping the head off of the roast animal with a loud crunch.

 Poncho Man and Padmé finally pressed through the crowd, and the R2 unit rammed itself into the shins of an unfortunate bystander who walked into its path. You held out a hand and the wayward Gungan took it, allowing you to help him to his feet.

 “Your friend here was about to become orange goo,” Anakin said, gesturing toward Jar-Jar. “He picked a fight with a Dug. An especially dangerous Dug named Sebulba.”

 Jar-Jar's eyes went wide. “Mees’a haten crunchen. Dat's da last thing mees'a wanten!” He shook his head and brushed off his arms, coming dangerously close to smacking another customer with an inattentive hand.

 Poncho Man raised his eyebrows at the Gungan. “Nevertheless, the boy is right. You were heading for trouble.” Jar-Jar made a guilty face and looked away. Poncho Man turned back to you and Ani, and gave you both a kind smile. “Thank you, my young friends.” He nodded deeply before turning, leading them back the way they had come and ignoring Jar-Jar's protest.

 You and Anakin exchanged a look and followed them, keeping pace with the R2 unit. “Wait! Where are you going?” you asked, and Padmé looked down, seeming fairly surprised that you and Ani had invited yourselves into their group.

 “We need to get back to our ship,” Poncho Man answered, not bothering to stop or look back at you. “Your master could not sell us the part we need, so we must find it elsewhere. However, it is late. We will need to look more tomorrow.”

 “At least let us get you something for the trek,” you blurted, and Poncho Man looked back over his shoulder at you. You darted past the R2 unit, watching your shins, and caught up to his side. “That's Jira,” you said, pointing out a nearby vendor. “She sells the best fruit in Mos Espa.” Poncho Man raised an eyebrow in interest, and you got the sense that if he was surprised, this was the extent of his reaction. You were duly surprised as he changed course to follow your lead, walking with you right up to Jira's fruit stand.

The wizened old lady smiled brightly at the sight of you and Ani, and cast a curious glance at your accompaniments. “Anakin! And little (y/n),” she said warmly. “What can I get for you?”

“Pallies, please,” you asked politely, fishing out the little money you had. Most of it you had found on the streets, spilled pocket remnants of fights, inattentive shoppers, and drunk gamblers. Ani fished around in his pockets as well, and you piled what you had on the stand. Jira scooted the money around, counting it out as you found it. When you came up empty, she retrieved the pallies, handing them to you and Ani.

“Here. They're really good, you'll like them,” you offered, holding a few out to the Poncho Man. Ani handed some to Padmé, and you each passed one to Jar-Jar.

“Thank you,” Poncho Man said, lifting his poncho to reveal his belt. He slipped the pallies into the pouch on it, but your eye caught the weapon secured to his belt. He dropped the poncho in hurried nonchalance, and you quickly averted your gaze, pretending you had not seen it. Instead, you turned to the R2 unit, who was quietly beeping to himself and observing his surroundings.

"I wish I could give you one," you apologized, and the unit's head swiveled to focus on you. It let out some cheerful beeps, then gently nudged your leg. You took it to mean, 'that's okay,’ because you were certain that if the unit had taken offense, it would have tried to run over your foot.

“Oh, my bones are aching,” Jira said, sliding your coins into her pouch with stiff hands. “Storm's coming up. You children better get home quick.” She offered your companions a kind, if hurried smile, and began to pack up her stall. “It was good to see you!”

You gave her a quick wave as your group began to move on. You knew she was right; the winds had already begun to pick up, and were tugging your long (h/c) hair around.

“Do you have shelter?” Ani asked, and you were equally concerned. The wind was already beginning to stir the sand of the streets. The thought of how it must look when the main storm picked up sand made you shudder.

“We'll head back to our ship,” the Poncho Man assured him. Your eyes widened, doing the calculations. You knew there were no official ship docking areas near enough to reach at the pace you were all going, and they would scarcely make it in time to the nearest landing yards even if they ran the whole way. You exchanged a look with Anakin, and you could tell he was thinking the same thing.

 “Is it far?”

 “It's on the outskirts,” Padmé said, concern bunching her eyebrows. You and Ani exchanged a long look. The gleam in his eyes suggested a solution. The slight tilt of your head and set of your jaw warned him to be wary. The faint pull of a smirk told you he knew exactly what he was doing. You glanced at the strangers, then back to him; he shrugged, as if to say, 'what's the worst that could happen?’, and you almost listed them all out there and then as he turned back to your new companions. You turned with him to see that Qui-Gon was watching the pair of you with patiently, but keen interest gleamed in his eyes.

“You'll never reach the outskirts in time. Sandstorms are very, very dangerous,” Anakin told them, tone dead-serious. “Come on, we'll go to our place.”

Padmé opened her mouth to argue, but you cut her off. “The storm is coming in way too fast, even if your ship was actually here in a port. Sandstorms can sand your skin right off when they really get going. I heard about a moisture farmer once who got caught out, and the storm sanded them down to bones.” You offered her a smile, and she slowly closed her mouth. “We need to get to shelter fast. Come on.” You followed after Anakin, squinting your eyes almost closed as the wind began to thicken with bursts of sand and dust that sparked hot patches on your skin where it met. You wove down the deserted streets, blocking sand from your face, until you reached the Slave Quarters.


	5. Meeting Shmi Skywalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shmi Skywalker did not have enough screen time.  
> In which everyone gets acquainted by the sandstorm's insistence.

As your hovel came into view, Anakin ran ahead to press the button to open the door. The wind vanished the moment you were inside, and you brushed sand from your clothes as your company followed you and Anakin in. The strangers looked around the small living space, and the door hissed shut behind them.

 

“Mom! Mom, we're home!” Anakin called, dumping his small bag onto the couch. Yours followed suit, landing beside his before rolling off the couch with a soft thud. You heard Jar-Jar murmur something about your little home being cozy, and you turned back to them as Ani went ahead to fetch Shmi.

 

“You'll be safe here until the storm passes. I would offer for you to stay the night, but you seem like you're in a hurry, and you'd have to ask Mama Shmi about it if you weren't,” you informed them. Poncho Man nodded, seemingly grateful for the almost-offer. His eyes flicked past you, and you turned as Ani proudly marched back in from the workroom, Shmi on his tail. She gasped quietly, looking between the plethora of visitors with quiet conviction.

 

“These are our new friends, mom,” he announced, moving to Padmé.

 

Jar-Jar offered a small “hidoe,” and the R2 unit let out a beep of greeting. Shmi let out a long sigh, not sure of what to do with the crowd before her, but the soft look in her eyes told you she wasn't about to throw them out into the storm again, either. Instead, she braced her hands on her hips, surveying Poncho Man as he stepped forward.

 

“I am Qui-Gon Jinn,” he introduced himself, and you made note of it, secretly glad to mentally refer to him by something other than his fashion choices. “Your children were kind enough to offer us shelter.” Shmi nodded thoughtfully, looking between yourself and Anakin.

 

You pitched in, seeing her distress. “They came to the shop earlier. They just need shelter until they can get back to their ship. It's on the outskirts.”  

 

“I'm building a droid, you wanna see?” Anakin asked Padmé, excitedly taking her hand. He scarcely waited for a reply before he began tugging her along behind him. “Come on, I'll show you Threepio!” You watched as the R2 unit left Qui-Gon's side, racing after the pair.

 

You looked to Shmi, who still looked as if she didn't know what to do with herself. “It will be a long while before the storm passes. You may as well stay for lunch.” She watched as the R2 unit zipped after Anakin and Padmé, then turned to you. “Keep him out of trouble,” she told you, gently guiding you towards the door.

 

“But--” you protested, glancing back at Qui-Gon and Jar-Jar, but she gave you a reassuring nod.

 

“It will be alright. Go ahead,” she said quietly, giving you another gentle push. You hesitated again, but reluctantly followed after Anakin. Before you turned the corner, you looked back, giving Qui-Gon a curious, if suspicious, glance.

 

You slipped past the warbling R2 droid in the doorway of Anakin's bedroom, glancing between the two. You suddenly remembered the hardware in your pocket and pulled the small bits out as you crossed the room, setting them down on the work table with a hollow thud.

 

“You really like him? He's a protocol droid to help mom. Watch!” Anakin beamed, and pressed a small button on the droid's clavicle. The droid, who currently looked more a mess of wires than anything, sat up attentively.

 

“Oh, oh. Where is everybody?” He asked, swiveling his head in an attempt to look around.

 

“Here, Ani forgot your eye again,” you apologized, pulling the photoreceptor from the shelf and plugging it in. It lit up, and he sat back, now much more aware of your presence that he could see you. He looked between yourself and Anakin and Padmé.

 

“Oh, hello,” he said brightly, fixing on Padmé. “I am C-3PO, Human Cyborg Relations. How might I serve you?” He asked politely. His movements were still quite stiff, but you had been waiting until he was more complete to give his joints finishing oil, on account of the potential mess.

 

“He's perfect,” Padmé said quietly, looking C-3PO up and down. “How ever did you do it?”

 

Anakin shrugged. “(Y/n) and I have been working on him for a long time now. We found some of him in the scrap yard and Watto wanted it gone, so we brought him here. We've been smuggling out little things to finish him up since then.” He grinned at you,giving a quick gesture your way. “(Y/n) fixed a lot of his programming bugs, and we rebuilt his outside together. Well, he isn't done, but he's almost there. We've been building a racer too, I'll show you when the storm is over!”

 

You offered Padmé a sheepish smile. “Anakin does a lot of the building,” you admitted. “I make sure everything works and deal with the tiny pieces. He doesn't have the patience for it!” You stuck your tongue out at Anakin, which he returned. C-3PO swung his legs off the table and you came to his side, wrapping one of his stiff arms over your shoulders to help brace him as he hopped down.

 

“I'm not sure this floor is entirely stable,” he muttered, clinging to you as his unfinished legs wobbled dangerously with each step. The R2 unit gave a delighted whistle, and Threepio immediately changed course to see him. “Oh, hello. I don't believe we have been introduced.”

 

The little droid beeped and whistled in rapid succession, scooting forward to meet Threepio. Padmé and Anakin continued discussing the pod you had been building behind you, but you could practically feel Padmé's split attention watching and listening to the droids.

 

“R2-D2,” Threepio repeated, doing his best approximation of a welcome gesture as he repeated his own name and title. R2-D2 let out more beeps and whistles, all so fast you couldn't begin to guess what they meant. Once you were around droids for a while, you could get a good idea of what their seemingly random communicative noises meant, but you hadn't been around R2-D2 long enough yet to understand his sounds. You didn't need to wonder long.

 

 _“Naked?”_  Threepio exclaimed. “I beg your pardon, what do you mean naked?!”

 

R2-D2 gave him a beep that sounded suspiciously, to you, like 'duh’.

 

Threepio scoffed at whatever the other droid had said, trying to look down at himself. “My parts are showing? My goodness.”

 

You turned to R2-D2, shifting Threepio's weight. “Be nice, we haven't had time to get his plating on yet,” you told him, and you could have sworn the little white droid laughed. You began to guide Threepio back to the workbench, moving around Anakin before helping the unfinished droid lift his weight onto the bench. You considered the little droid for a moment before it clicked what type of droid he was.

 

“Wait, you're an R2 unit! A droid for space flight repairs and the like, right? That means you can weld.” R2-D2 beeped cheerfully. “Can you help with getting some of Threepio's plating on?” R2-D2 scooted close at that, beeping and whistling all the way, and you beamed.

 

“We've been trying to figure out how to sneak Threepio into Watto's shop to finish him up,” Anakin explained to an entranced Padmé. “The stuff we have to weld the racer is too powerful.”

 

You spent a good long while with the two droids. You hooked the stabilizing rods and other missing pieces into his legs, ensuring all was tight, and worked a bit of oil into his joints. R2 extended his welding attachment, and while you held the steel plating in place, he attached each piece with a few masterfully placed zaps. Anakin joined in, and Padmé watched intently as you worked in tandem to finish Threepio while you still had a welding capable droid. You closed up his legs, his arms, and got a few pieces in place on his face, plus all the additional work that had to be done prior.

 

“Ani, (y/n), lunch,” Shmi finally called. Ani pressed the button to shut down Threepio, and he slumped back against the wall.

 

“Come on! Mama Shmi's soup is really good,” you promised, beckoning to Padmé to follow yourself and Anakin. If you hadn't, you were certain that he would have ungracefully dragged her through the house again. R2 settled himself beside Threepio, ready to help more at a moment's notice. The little droid seemed happy to have something to do besides follow and record.

 

Shmi, Qui-Gon and Jar-Jar were already seated at the table when the three of you emerged, soup having been lovingly ladled into bowls. You and Anakin scrambled into the two empty seats beside each other, and Padmé circled the table, taking up the seat beside Shmi. A glance at the windows told you the storm was in full swing; sand was quickly piling up on the windowsills, dimming the light further than usual. You felt as if you had entered mid conversation, judging by the tension in the room.

 

“All slaves have transmitters placed inside their bodies somewhere,” Shmi said quietly. “Any attempt to escape--”

 

Anakin cut her off, speaking through a mouthful of soup. “--and they blow you up. Boom!” He shoveled in another mouthful of soup, ignoring the look Shmi gave him, one of sadness and a withering request to have manners. “I've been working on a scanner to locate them. Then I can get them out and we can fly far away from here.”

 

“I can't believe there is still slavery in the galaxy,” Padmé said gently. “The Republic's anti-slavery laws--”

 

It was Shmi's turn to cut someone off. “The Republic doesn't exist out here,” she said somberly. Her gaze drifted to yourself and Anakin. “We must survive on our own.”

 

You jumped out of your skin as a pink whip snapped across the table, nabbing fruit from the bowl in the center. You froze, staring at Jar-Jar with perturbed disturbance written all over your face as his tongue whipped the fruit into his mouth. Qui-Gon gave him a stern look, and everyone else's gaze slowly focused on the Gungan. He gave a sheepish apology, leaving the room in awkward silence. Any further serious conversation had been ruined by the giant tongue snapping across the table.

 

“Has anyone seen a pod race?” Anakin asked. You stuck another spoonful of soup into your mouth, chewing on the meat morsels that Shmi had scrounged up. Watto took care of you, Anakin and Shmi, but you still weren't sure you wanted to think about where that meat came from.

 

Qui-Gon swallowed his mouthful; while his face was a pinnacle of deliberate patience and calm, you were almost certain you caught a glimpse of your sentiment mirrored in his eyes. He leaned forward, smiling pleasantly at Anakin. “They have pod racing on Malastare. Very fast. Very dangerous.”

 

“We're the only humans who can do it,” Anakin said, gesturing to himself and you.

 

“I'm sure there are other humans elsewhere who can,” you said meekly, and Anakin rolled his eyes at your attempted modesty. From what you had both heard from odds and ends pilots, no other humans were keen on participating in other planets’ pod races, either.

 

“No, there aren't,” Qui-Gon confirmed. He considered Anakin for a moment. “If you race pods, you must have the reflexes of a Jedi.”

 

You nearly knocked your soup on the floor as Jar-Jar's tongue whipped across the table again, and you nudged Anakin as he began to giggle. Qui-Gon grabbed the errant tongue out of thin air, and you and Anakin glanced at one another.

 

“Don't do that again,” Qui-Gon warned, and Jar-Jar mumbled an apology as best he could with his tongue still draped out of his mouth. It returned to his amphibian face with a snap as Qui-Gon let go.

 

“You're a Jedi Knight,” Anakin said matter of factly. He sipped the last of his soup from the bowl, putting it down and pushing it to the middle of the table. Qui-Gon looked genuinely surprised this time.

 

“What makes you think that?” He seemed as if he knew the answer already, but was purely curious as to whether it was correct. He raised his eyebrows at the pair of you.

 

“I saw your laser sword. Only Jedi carry that kind of weapon.” Anakin had a serious look on his face now, but his wide eyes quietly considered Qui-Gon with admiration.

 

“Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him,” Qui-Gon countered.

 

“He has a point,” you finally piped up. “I hear people collect them sometimes.” You flashed Ani a look that told him that was why you had silently warned him to be careful. You turned to Qui-Gon, who looked like your agreement was not what he was expecting. “You are a Jedi, though. I can tell. If you were bad, I would have had a bad feeling about you before we got here.” You finished your soup, collecting the rest of your thoughts. “If you're not here to hurt us, the only reason you would be carrying that is because you are a Jedi.”

 

Qui-Gon nodded, seeming impressed with your bold examination of his character. “What if I could hide that from you, and make you believe I was good, even though I killed a Jedi?” he challenged.

 

“That's impossible, cause nobody can kill a Jedi,” Anakin said bluntly.

 

“I wish that were true,” Qui-Gon mused. He considered you and Anakin for a moment.

 

“I had a dream I was a Jedi,” Anakin said. “(Y/n) has those dreams too. We both dream about coming back to free all the slaves.” He looked at Qui-Gon, shifting in his seat. “Have you come to free us?”

 

Qui-Gon shook his head solemnly. “No, I'm afraid not.”

 

“Then why are you here?” He looked to you in surprise, and Shmi gave you a chiding glare. “Sorry. I'm curious is all.”

 

“I think you have come to free us,” Anakin put in. “Why else would you be here?”

 

Qui-Gon closed his eyes and sat there for a moment. When Shmi did it, you knew she was gathering her patience to not yell at you, or Anakin, or whoever had caused trouble that time around. “I see there is no fooling you,” he admitted, opening his eyes and leaning his elbows on the table. “We're on our way to Coruscant, the central system of the Republic, on a very important mission.”

 

You furrowed your brow, but Anakin stole your question. “How did you end up here in the Outer Rim?”

 

Padmé saved Qui-Gon the trouble of answering this time. “Our ship was damaged. We're stuck here until we can repair it. That's why we need the part we came to your shop for today.”

 

“We can fix it,” you and Anakin blurted in unison. “We can fix almost anything,” he continued. You were busy casting Qui-Gon curious looks. You had so many questions burning a hole in your tongue about the Jedi, but now that there was someone who could reliably answer them without the embellishment of space pilot tall tales, you weren't able to ask.

 

“I believe you can,” Qui-Gon said slowly, “but we must first acquire the parts we need. Unfortunately, your master does not accept Republic credits.” You nodded, understanding why they had left so frustrated before. Even if the Republic extended its reach to Tatooine, you were certain that Watto would refuse to accept their money. He liked tangible pay too much.  

 

“These junk dealers must have a weakness of some kind. They can't just refuse to accept everything,” Padmé said, looking quite ready to go throttle Watto herself.

 

“Gambling.” Shmi shifted uncomfortably in her seat, meeting Qui-Gon's eyes as a grave expression settled over her features. “Everything here revolves around betting on those awful races.”

 

The Jedi nodded slowly, seeming to mull the new opportunity over in his mind. “Podracing. Greed can be a powerful ally,” he agreed, seeming ready to formulate a new plan.

 

“There's a big race tomorrow, on Boonta Eve,” you said, earning a sharp look from Shmi. “You could enter our pod.”

 

“It's the fastest ever,” Anakin added. “We built it ourselves! You could make Watto think it's yours and get him to let us pilot it!” He looked to Shmi, who looked more stern by the second. “Watto doesn't know we've built it.”

 

“I don't want you to race,” Shmi said sternly. “It's awful. I die every time Watto makes you do it. Don't do this, either of you,” she pleaded, looking between Anakin and yourself desperately.

 

“But Mama Shmi, we love it! The prize money would pay for the parts they need and more. We can do it, we'll be fine,” you insisted, but Qui-Gon shook his head.

 

“Your mother is right. Is there anyone else friendly to the Republic who might help?”

 

“No,” she said quietly. “Nobody.”

 

Anakin looked at Shmi pleadingly. “Mom, you said the biggest problem in the universe is that nobody helps each other.”

 

Shmi sighed heavily, and you reached out to cover one of her hands in your own. “We can do it, I'm sure of it. Please let us help them.”

 

“I am sure Qui-Gon doesn't want to put your son in danger. We'll find another way,” Padmé insisted, but Shmi shook her head, turning her hand over to hold yours.

 

“There is no other way,” she said bluntly, and everyone stared at her. “I may not like it, but he can help you. Both of them can.” She gave Qui-Gon a long look. “They were meant to help you.” Qui-Gon nodded, a very deliberate action,and you and Ani gave each other an excited smile.

 

You helped Shmi gather the dishes as everyone finished their soup, and Jar-Jar followed behind to help her clean up. Once she had dismissed you, insisting that she and Jar-Jar had it handled, you wandered back out to the living room. Anakin and Padmé were nowhere to be seen, and had presumably retreated back to his room to work on Threepio more. Qui-Gon sat on one of the low couches, looking pensive as he watched the sand drift against the windows. You wandered up behind the couch, walking as silently as you could, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts, and quietly took a seat on the arm at the other end.

 

“You are a quiet one,” he observed, turning his head to look at you.

 

“You seemed like you were thinking about something. I didn't want to interrupt,” you said, sliding down onto the cushion beside him. You looked up at his calm, wise eyes.

 

“You seem as if you do an awful lot of thinking yourself,” he said, and you weren't entirely sure if it was praise. “Earlier, you mentioned that if I had killed a Jedi, you would have had a bad feeling about me. What did you mean, if I may ask?”

 

You blinked, fidgeting with the hem of your long skirt. “Well, when dangerous pilots come into the shop, I get a bad feeling about them, and they almost always get mean. I didn't get that feeling about you when you came into the shop, or when Ani invited you here.” You shrugged, looking away. “I just try to be safe anyway, in case my feelings aren't right.”

 

“Your instincts seem to serve you well.” He folded his hands, staring at you for a long moment. “You should listen to them.”

 

“I've had a bad feeling about something for a couple days now,” you admitted. You weren't sure why you were choosing to confide in him, but you felt it was right. “I don't know what about. It just feels like something big is about to happen. Something very big, and bad.”

 

You caught a faint flash of genuine surprise in Qui-Gon's eyes, but his collected expression remained unreadable. “Is that so?” He nodded thoughtfully. “There is some turmoil in the Republic, but it would not affect you here on Tatooine. Your planet is not safe from danger, being controlled by the Hutts, but you should not be in any more danger than usual.” You nodded, knowing he was attempting to reassure you. It helped some, but at the same time, you felt it was not entirely true.

 

“I am sure you have many questions,” he continued gently. “But the time for idle discussion has passed. Look, the storm has ended.” Indeed, the wind outside had died down, and the clear areas of the windows boasted bright sun, rather than dusty distance. You slid off the couch and crossed to the nearest window. The latch released with a click and you pushed it outward, letting the piled up sand fall to the ground outside. The day was bright and clear again, and people were beginning to emerge from their homes.

 

“Would you like to go back to Watto's shop and talk about the pod race with him?” you asked, looking at Qui-Gon over your shoulder.

 

“You all may stay here for the night,” Shmi offered from the doorway of the kitchen. You both turned to look at her. “If your ship is on the outskirts, and Watto agrees to the race, that is a long way to go to rest. Our home is yours until you take your leave.”

 

Qui-Gon stood and gave her a small bow. “Thank you. We will return shortly. I must discuss this new opportunity with Watto.”

 

“We'll come too. We might be able to help you convince him,” Anakin said, emerging from the doorway with Padmé and R2 in tow. Qui-Gon nodded, and you all cringed as a pot fell and rolled across the kitchen floor, followed by a panicking Jar-Jar.

 


	6. Dealmaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qui-Gon is good at making deals and bets. Watto is overconfident. You and Anakin aren't about to bring up your win:loss ratio.
> 
> The Queen doesn't need to know, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trying to catch up to 2x a day posts because I missed one. Hopefully there will be two more updates today. Hopefully.  
> I am painfully aware that the indents, or lack thereof, are still a problem. The indent button in the editor isn't working on mobile.

The streets were slowly beginning to fill with people again, some of whom were clearing the dust off of their homes and speeders, while others began to set up their stalls again to finish out the day's sales. You and Anakin walked side by side in front of the others, save for Shmi, who had remained at home to continue working on her quota of assignments.

 

“Are you and Padmé getting to know each other better?” You asked, weaving between other passerby who were quickly forming into a new crowd.

 

“Yeah, we are. It turns out she's a handmaiden for a queen, and she's here because the queen wants to know about our planet,” he said brightly. “Maybe that means she can help free the slaves.”

 

“Do you really think the queen from another planet would be able to do something like that?” You doubted any queen, regardless of how good her intentions were, would be able to sway the Hutts to release the slaves.

 

“Maybe not,” he shrugged, “but it would be good for outlanders to know, if nobody realizes that slaves still exist.” You nodded in agreement. You weren't sure how anyone could help, but at the very least, getting word out to people with influence that slaves still existed couldn't hurt. He led the way into Watto's shop, and you hopped up on the counter. The mess Jar-Jar had left earlier had been picked up.

 

Watto looked between the both of you, confusion wrinkling his blue forehead. “Ani. (Y/n). What are you doing here? I said you could go home.”

 

“The man from earlier wants to sponsor us in tomorrow's race. He's here to talk to you about it,” Anakin said, leaning back against the counter.

 

“Why would he want to do that, eh?” Watto scratched his chin thoughtfully, and you shrugged. Qui-Gon and Padmé strolled in as he tried to puzzle the Jedi's motives, Qui-Gon looking pleased with himself, while Padmé glared discontentedly at his back. You wondered offhandedly what had passed between them, but Watto approached Qui-Gon before you could ask.

 

“The boy tells me you want to sponsor him in a race. How can you do it? Not on Republic credits, I think, eh?” He laughed, an ugly sound that grated in his throat.

 

“My ship will be the entry fee.” You stared at Qui-Gon, wide eyed. That was a bold gamble, even for around here. He seemed to sense your shock, and afforded you a short look that told you he was certain in what he was doing. He pulled a device from his pocket and pressed a button, pulling up  hologram of his ship. It was neat and sleek. “It's in good order, save for the parts I need.”

 

Watto considered the hologram, tilting his head back and forth. “Not bad, not bad. Nubian, eh?” Qui-Gon nodded, putting the device away. “What would they ride? They smashed up my pod in the last race. It will take time to fix it.”

 

“It wasn't really our fault,” you interrupted, crossing your arms. “Sebulba flashed us with his vents.”

 

Anakin nodded. “I actually saved the pod,” he said, his grimace audible. “Mostly.”

 

Watto nodded, and gave another rough laugh. “That you did, that you did. The boy is good, no doubts there.”

You pressed your lips together, biting back your response. You could pilot a pod just as well as Anakin, but Watto seemed to forget that. Anakin and you had a somewhat unspoken agreement; he piloted, while you managed in flight repairs. He tended to backseat pilot if you flew, so your arrangement worked well. Watto acted like it was because you couldn't fly if you wanted to.

 

Qui-Gon offered Watto a smile. “As it so happens, I have acquired a pod in a game of chance. ‘The fastest ever built,’ or so I am told.” He folded his hands neatly, as if it were a pure statement of fact.

 

“I hope you didn't kill anyone I know for it,” Watto cackled. “You supply the pod and entry fee. I supply the children. We split the winnings fifty fifty, I think.” He crossed his arms, waiting for Qui-Gon to agree.

 

The Jedi thought for a moment. “If it's going to be fifty fifty, I suggest you front the cash for the entry. If we win, you keep all the winnings, minus the cost of the parts I need. If we lose, you keep my ship,” he said, strolling past Watto. Watto squinted, a sign  that his little brain was working at full capacity to judge the new offer. “Either way, you win.”

 

Qui-Gon returned to his original stance as Watto considered the offer. Anakin shot you a nervous glance. “Deal!” Watto finally decided, cementing the deal with a finalizing nod. Qui-Gon nodded a farewell and turned to leave, beckoning the rest of your ragtag group to follow him.

 

You slid off the counter, ready to follow, and caught Watto looking after Qui-Gon curiously. “Your friend is a  foolish one, methinks,” he murmured, letting out a quiet chuckle. He waved you and Ani off, and neither of you so much as hesitated to follow Qui-Gon out.


	7. Qui-Gon and Shmi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qui-Gon and Shmi have a heart to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can't upload three in a day, upload one?  
> This is a mini-chapter that would be marked as a half chapter if it were possible.

You all returned home, and Shmi looked ready to cry as Anakin filled her in on Watto and Qui-Gon's agreement. You followed him down to the courtyard, both of you bolting down the stairs of the Slave Quarters at full speed, Padmé and Jar-Jar scrambling to keep up. You looked back as you hopped off the third stair from the bottom, seeing Shmi and Qui-Gon surveying you and Ani from the back porch of your hovel. You paused for a moment and waved. Shmi waved in return, and to your surprise, Qui-Gon raised his hand in greeting. You smiled, then followed everyone else over to where your pod sat, waiting patiently beneath the covering as Ani hauled out the bag of tools from beneath.

 

“You should be proud of your children. They give without any thought of reward,” Qui-Gon said, resting his hands on the packed-sand railing. 

 

Shmi nodded, doing the same. “Neither child  knows anything of greed. They have a--” She hesitated, gathering her words.

 

“They have special powers,” Qui-Gon finished for her. She nodded, and he blinked slowly. “They can see things before they happen. That is why they appear to have such quick reflexes. It is a Jedi trait.”

 

Shmi looked away, down at where you and Ani were prepping the pod to be worked on. Threepio and R2 had since joined you, and the pod had been uncovered and pulled from it's storage place. It gleamed in the sunlight as you and Ani dug through the bag of tools, pulling out what you needed to work on it. “They deserve better than a slaves’ life.”

 

Qui-Gon watched the gathering below with interest, a faint smile tugging at his lips as other slave children came out to see the goings on. “Had he been born in the Republic, we would have identified them early. The Force is unusually strong with them, that much is clear.” He looked back to Shmi.  “Who is the boy's father?”

 

Shmi looked taken aback, but shook her head. “There was no father. I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him. I can't explain what happened,” she said quietly. 

 

Qui-Gon nodded, returning his gaze to the group below. “And the girl? What of her father?”

 

Shmi shook her head again. “The girl is not mine. I found her in the back of the ship's hold when Ani and I were brought here. She is the same age as him. I could not bring myself to leave her there when the guards overlooked her. I heard conflicting sources of her origin, Ach-To, Dagobah, and Iego alike, but the speculations stopped when I claimed her as my child. I can only assume her peculiar accent is what she learned before.” 

 

Qui-Gon looked to her, his wise eyes soft with understanding. “Does she know?”

 

Shmi nodded. “I did not want her to think she lost her birth mother, if the slavers or the Hutts ever uncovered their mistake and took her. She calls me Mama Shmi, and I fear she thinks of me as such despite my efforts.” She gestured down to where you and Ani had delved into the workings of the pod. “She and Ani do not think of each other as siblings, though. They may have been raised together, but they are best friends.” She fidgeted with her sleeves before clasping her hands in front of her. “Can you help them?”

 

Qui-Gon looked to her again, a distant pensive look in his eyes. “I don't know. I did not actually come here to free slaves.”

  
  



	8. Finishing the Pod

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Anakin, blissfully unaware of Qui-Gon's conversation, fix up the pod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will also fix the giant paragraph gaps. I didn't realize they messed up that badly transferring over. Whoops.

You sat back on your heels, pulling yourself from the wire-filled recesses of the pod. You had connected the last wires and made sure there were no internal leaks, and now you slid the piece of exterior paneling back into place. R2 came up beside you, fastening it into place with a few sparky bursts.

“That's a real Astro Droid!” Kitster, a black-haired boy your age said. “How’d you get so lucky?”

Anakin beamed, securing some loose wiring on the engines. “That's not the half of it! We're entered in the Boonta race tomorrow!”

Kitster's smile immediately melted into doubt like a piece of plastic under the suns. “What? With this thing?”

The little Rodian watching gave a small giggle. “You are such a joker, Ani,” he laughed.

“You've been working on that thing for years,” Amee said, crossing her arms. “It's never gonna run.” Her sister, a few years younger than you, nodded in earnest. You threw them a dirty look as you wiped down the reattached panel.

“Come on, lets go play ball,” Seek, a redhead boy vaguely older than yourself said. “Keep racing, Ani. You're gonna be bug squash.” The other kids ran off with him at that, save for Kitster, who was busy rifling  through the spare parts you had piled in the corner. Ani glared after them, throwing his wrench onto the ground in frustration.

“Hey,” you said, circling the pod. He snatched a different tool from the bag and began taking out his frustrations on a loose screw, angrily spinning it back down into the hole. “They don't know what they're talking about. We've been working on this for years, but we're almost done. It'll be ready before the suns set,” you pointed out.

“What if we don't win?” Anakin said, and you exchanged a worried look. “Qui-Gon took a really dangerous bet. If we lose--”

You cut him off with a grin. “We won't lose. I can feel it.” Your nerves had clouded your perception of how the race might end, but now that your anxiety was becoming excitement, you had a good feeling about the race. A really good feeling. “This time will be different.”

Ani sighed. “I really hope so. I mean, I feel like we'll win too, but I don't wanna get my hopes up.” You nodded in understanding. You felt much the same, but you had decided to give Qui-Gon's advice a go this time.

“Well, we won't be racing at all if we don't finish up the pod,” you pointed out, and he smiled. You picked up the errant wrench and tapped it against your other hand. “Let's show them what we can do.”

Anakin picked up another tool as you double checked bolts. “Hey! Jar-Jar! Keep away from those energy binders!” The Gungan was dangerously close to the beam of purple electricity that shot between the engines. “If your hand gets caught in that beam, it'll go numb for hours!”

Jar-Jar nodded, offering a smile, but the tool he had been holding fell right out of his hands. As you watched, he bent to pick up the tool, and stuck his face directly into the crackling beam. He jumped back with a yelp, flinging the tool into the engine, and shook his head, muttering about his tongue, and the droids exchanged words and beeps of agreement. You checked the wiring on the power couplet, making sure all the connections were secure and ready to withstand the speed and battering you were sure they would undergo, and Qui-Gon and Shmi came down the stairs, watching you and Ani work with interest. You sighed as Jar-Jar's hand stuck in the engine, having tried to retrieve the lost tool, and you freed him, taking the tool out yourself. Once he had been removed from certain peril and Padmé had sat him aside, you made sure that everything on the engines was in order and moved back to the main pod, double checking their connection to the pod itself.

“You are way too confident,” Kitster said, handing you the last bolt for the pod shell. “You don't even know if this thing is gonna run.”

Anakin climbed into the pod capsule, checking the controls to make sure everything was there and fastened. “It will,” he replied, wiping down the dashboard. You finished fastening the bolt and handed Kitster the wrench, climbing up and plopping yourself into the seat behind Anakin.

“I suppose it's time we found out,” Qui-Gon said, leaving the shade of the archway as he drew close. “Here. Use this power charge.” He handed Ani a small battery, and you grinned, feeling your stomach do a flip in anticipation. Qui-Gon led Kitster away to safety, and Jar-Jar offered a thumbs up as they all moved away.

“Ready?” You grinned, nearly bouncing in your seat. Ani nodded and you both donned your helmets, flicking down the goggles. You held your breath as he reached for the ignition switch. He flicked it, and the engines roared to life in a blaze of gold.

“It's working! It's working!” He yelled, and you let out the breath you'd been holding in a yelp of joy. You held on, and he shoved forward, shooting the pod out of the Slave Quarters and out into the open desert.

The sand flew past in a blur as the engines dragged the pod behind them. Ani banked the pod left, then right, checking the steering for accuracy, and all was in order. He flipped the pod around sharply, heading for the Slave Quarters again, and you looked over the engines and the pod from where you sat, ensuring there were no loose wires or other things that would hinder the pod in the race. Everything was down tight, and the pod made a long, echoing drone as Ani slowed it down, coming to rest where it had taken off from. You beamed as everyone came forward to see the pod, and to congratulate the pair of you. The only one who did not was Shmi, but she offered you a smile from the shadows, one of sadness and worry.


	9. Blood Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Updates will now resume! Thank you for your patience.  
> I am still having problems with indents not transferring, so apologies!
> 
> You find out some strange information the night before your big race.

The suns set an hour later, and dinner went smoothly. Jar-Jar, thankfully, did not scoop more fruit from the bowl with his face, instead politely asking people to pass a piece. The Gungan followed Shmi into the kitchen to help clean up the post meal mess again, and Padmé excused herself, heading to Anakin's room. You and Anakin were to sleep in the living room, while Qui-Gon and Padmé were to take your rooms, respectively. Jar-Jar had already made a blanket nest for himself on the living room chair.

 

“Might I have a moment? Your arm needs attending,” Qui-Gon said, beckoning Anakin to come with him. You followed them out to the back porch, and you and Ani hopped up onto the balcony railing. Qui-Gon sat on Anakin's other side and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a cut. Blood had smeared around on the skin where his shirt had rubbed against it and dried, making it look worse than it was. Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at Anakin, silently asking for explanation.

 

“There was some debris in the engine when I started it up and it flew back,” he admitted. “I was so excited that the pod worked that I didn't even know what had happened.” Qui-Gon nodded, pulling out a small kit from his belt pouch. He unfolded it, wiping off the dry blood with a dampened, clean cloth he had brought from the bathroom. Ani hissed and pulled back, but Qui-Gon held his arm.

 

“Hold still, Ani. Let me clean this cut.” He wiped at it gently, and the red layer on his skin faded slowly. 

 

Ani looked up at the star filled sky, a seemingly unfathomable void filled with millions of tiny, blinking lights. “There are so many,” he breathed. “Do they all have a system of planets?” 

 

Qui-Gon nodded slowly. “Most of them.”

 

“Has anyone been to them all?”

 

“Not likely,” Qui-Gon laughed, inspecting the cut for any debris. 

 

“I want to be the first one to see them all.” You followed Anis gaze, unsure of how he could ever want to go up there. As much as you didn't like Tatooine and everything that came with it, the vastness of space intimidated you. Not that you would ever admit it.

 

Shmi wiped down a counter in the kitchen, glancing out the door. “Ani, bedtime!” She called.  Ani hissed as Qui-Gon's diligent cleaning pulled open the wound, sending a trail of blood trickling down his arm. Shmi called again, but he seemed in no rush to listen. Qui-Gon took a chip from his pocket, scraping some of the blood trail onto it before pressing gauze to the cut and taping it down.

 

“There. Good as new,” he said, patting Ani’s arm.

 

“What are you doing?” Anakin asked, nodding at the chip.

 

“I'm checking your blood for infections,” he answered, and you weren't sure it was entirely true. “Machinery can cause many illnesses in cuts, as it is not clean.” He nodded towards the door, where Shmi was casting another glance outside. “You have a big day tomorrow. Goodnight.” 

 

Anakin rolled his eyes, but ran inside as Shmi called him again. You looked at Shmi, wondering why she hadn't called you, but she was busy pressing Anakin to put pajamas on.

 

“I should check your blood as well,” Qui-Gon said, addressing you. You couldn't help but look at him, wide eyed.

 

“Why?” You asked, and he glanced up from pulling a clean chip from his belt pouch.

 

“To make sure you are healthy as well.” He searched your face as you fidgeted with your sleeves. “You may not have gotten a cut, but it is well-known that slaves do not have the medical attention they should.”

 

“What happens if you find something? If I'm not healthy?” You asked. As far as you knew, you were just fine, but it seemed strange that Qui-Gon would be so concerned. The only time anyone was concerned with the health of slaves was when they had an interest in buying them.

 

“Nothing at all,” he assured you. “Perhaps I might be able to secure medication of some sort before we leave.”

 

You looked at him for a long moment before coming to a decision. You almost heard Anakin ask what the worst thing that could happen was as you held out your arm, bracing for the pain. “Okay.”

 

Qui-Gon took out a small instrument, nicking your skin, and you bit your lip at the sharp pain. A tiny trail of blood, a single drop, slid down your skin and across the clean chip. Qui-Gon set it aside and gently wiped the blood from your arm, taking care not to cause you any more pain. You winced as he pressed down another square of gauze, securing it with a length of tape. 

 

“You're not going to buy and resell us, are you?” You blurted, and he blinked in surprise.

 

“Of course not.” He smiled, wider than you had seen yet. “If I could not buy ship parts, I certainly could not afford to buy you from Watto. You know he will not take Republic credits anyhow.” You nodded, realizing you hadn't thought about that, and you looked away with burning ears. Qui-Gon gestured toward the doorway, and the pool of yellow light that spilled across the night-blue sand from within the house. “You should get some sleep as well. You and young Anakin have a big day tomorrow.” 

 

You slid off the balcony railing, taking only a few steps toward the door before looking back. “Goodnight, Qui-Gon.”

 

“Goodnight, (y/n),” he smiled.  You went inside and Shmi immediately ushered you into the bathroom, handing you your pajamas. You couldn't very well change in your room now.

 

Shmi was gone when you emerged, your pajamas donned and your teeth brushed. She had turned off all but the ambient night lights that gave the hovel just enough glow to navigate the sparsely-decorated rooms by. You slunk through the shadows, navigating the room as easily as if it were the middle of the day. Just entering the living room on silent feet, you heard a quiet murmur of conversation. Part of you wanted to continue into the living room, as Shmi would be frustrated if she caught you wandering around after bedtime, but another part of you--the instinctive part--told you that this might be worth getting caught. You sighed through your mouth, hoping it wouldn't be heard, and followed the voices, keeping to the deepest shadows so you wouldn't be seen. The voices led you to the back door, and a quick, fleetingly risked glance told you Qui-Gon was still on the balcony. He held a strange little item in his hand, and you realized it was a communicator when another man's voice buzzed out in a murmured “wait a minute.” You shrunk back, ducking behind a nearby chair.

 

“I need two midi-chlorian counts,” you heard Qui-Gon say, his voice floating in through the doorway and open window. “The first one should be coming in now.”

 

There was a pause as the other man considered the data. “This reading is off the chart. Over twenty thousand. Even Master Yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high!” 

 

“No Jedi has.” You heard the clicking of something being unplugged, and something else being plugged in. “Here is the second reading.”

 

Pressing your face to the wall, you risked peeking around the corner with one eye, careful to keep your body behind the wall. When you realized he was using the chips he had taken your blood with, your eyes went wide, and questions flooded your mind as you wondered what a midi-chlorian was. You hoped it wasn't a disease. The voice came over the communicator again. “This one is even higher--wait, something else is coming up on the reading.” Qui-Gon waited in silence until the voice returned. “This one is not human. It says it is from a Vamaelyn. What is that?”

 

There was a long silence, and you held your breath, searching what you could see of Qui-Gon’s face. The Jedi finally spoke. “They are a form of human. I will explain more to you later. There are more important things at hand.” He sighed, and you furrowed your brow. _A form of human?_ Qui-Gon sounded thoughtful as he continued. “The girl can feel the disturbance in the Force as well.”

 

“What does all of this mean?” The other man asked, sounding exasperated. You ducked back into the shadow behind the chair as Shmi’s footsteps approached, concealing yourself just as she rounded the corner. She walked right past your hiding place as she stepped to the door, leaning on the frame with her back to you. 

 

You slipped out from behind the chair, stealthily slinking out of earshot before silently running for the living room. Over the soft patter of your retreating feet, you heard Qui-Gon murmur, “I am not sure.” 

 

  You jumped onto the couch running full speed and grabbed the covers, tugging them over you and pulling them up to your chin as you curled up. Hastily closing your eyes, you forced your form to relax, particularly your face. Nobody would be convinced you were asleep if your face was scrunched up. You heard Shmi walk back through the house and into the living room, and your heart sped up as the soft shuffle of her footsteps paused in front of you. She whispered something, and you cracked an eye open to see her bent over a sleeping Anakin, gently whispering in his ear with her arm on his shoulder. Her skirts moved, and your eyelid snapped shut. The soft shifting of her feet drew nearer, crossing the distance to you in a few steps. Her long fingers tucked your (h/c) hair behind your ear, and you felt her necklace bump your hand as she leaned in close.

 

“My sweet, sweet (y/n),” she whispered, resting her cool hand on your cheek. Somehow, even her whispers managed to sound weary. “Things are about to change for you. Whatever happens tomorrow, whatever happens after, you take care, and you stay true to yourself. Follow your heart. It will never lead you anywhere you are not meant to go.” She paused, the sound of a swallow punctuating fleeting hesitation. “You may not have been mine, but I have always loved you like my own.” She adjusted the blanket, pulling it from your hand gently and tucking it under your chin. It took all your willpower to make her believe you were still asleep. You heard her walk away, and as her footsteps vanished, Qui-Gon's heavier, longer strides approached from the door. He paused in the middle of the room for only a moment before continuing on, heading down the opposite end of the hall from where Shmi had gone. Sleep quickly descended, despite Jar-Jar's noisy Gungan muttering between his snores.


	10. The Race: Hangar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So begins the first step in changing the course of your and Anakin's destinies, for better or worse.
> 
> The first part of the race that changed the fate of the universe, and many others to come, forever.

You stretched your stiff limbs under the blanket, wiping your eyes clear in the pale pre-dawn light. For a moment you froze, unsure of where you were for a moment before you realized your surroundings were that of the living room. Jar-Jar's muttering had diminished into a faint wavering snore, and Anakin slept silently on the other couch. Shmi's words came back to you, and you mulled them over in your mind, hanging on every word until it was committed to memory. You wondered about Qui-Gon's conversation as well, who he was talking to, and what it all meant. Despite the man he was talking to apparently having a better idea of what was going on, you felt a little burst of satisfaction that they weren't sure what it all meant either. If nothing else, you decided that it made you feel less uninformed and naive.

 

The first sun sent a wash of pale yellow light through the window, and it hit you what day it was. You sat up rod straight as your stomach did a flip, and you looked at Anakin again. He was still asleep, faintly snoring. The race didn't start for hours, and you knew ne needed the sleep. You took the blanket from your lap and crossed to him, pulling it across him lightly. He let out a faint snore, but quickly snuggled deeper into the layer of blankets.

 

 You slipped out the back door, dashing down the night-cold stairs. The air was chilly and smelled faintly humid, but knew that wouldn't last long once both suns were fully above the horizon. Making a beeline for the pod, you pulled back the cover, then dug out a cloth and pod wax. You passed the cloth over the shell of the pod, sending puffs of settled sand flying. Once the excess was gone, you doused the rag in polish and climbed atop the pod, scrubbing it across the blue and silver paint. The buzz of excitement in your stomach made the task pass quickly, and you had time to give the workings another once over for tampering before the polish on your hands began to dry and pull at your skin. You tossed the polishing material off to the side and ran back to your hovel, scrambling up the stairs and back inside. 

 

You made a beeline for the bathroom, washing the polish off your hands. The sink had the same stops as Watto's, a water-saving measure in your decidedly waterless environment. As you opened the door, drying your hands on your pajamas, you nearly ran face first into Qui-Gon's legs. You were stunned to see him already dressed, but then, if you hadn't polished the pod, you probably would have been by now too. 

 

“Good morning, (y/n). You are up early,” he said, seeming as surprised as he seemed to ever get. 

 

“I woke up and polished the pod,” you said matter of factly. “I checked the hardware too, to make sure nobody tried to tamper with it last night.” You stepped out of his way. “You're up early too.”

 

“It is customary for Jedi to wake early,” he said. “It can get a bit confusing at times when we have no suns to rise by, but we make do.”

 

You nodded in understanding. “Would you like breakfast?”

 

He shook his head. “I am afraid I don't have time. Thank you. I have business I must attend to before the race.”

 

“Alright.” You would have offered to accompany him, but you knew that you needed time to prep for the race. “See you at the track.”

 

 You left him to his devices and made your way to your room. It was smaller than Anakin's, which was why Threepio had been kept in his instead. Qui-Gon had left it in impeccable order, with no trace of his being there apart from your made bed, made neater than you ever had. You went straight to your drawers, pulling out white pants and a shirt. The outfit was similar to Anakin's clothes in all but size, yours being slightly smaller to fit your frame. It was the only pair of pants Shmi had let you have; slaves had a dress code, and she was not about to risk your skin, even if Watto was lax about such things. These were not for everyday use, but were instead for racing, as long dresses were horribly impractical in a pod race.

 

By the time you dressed and brushed out your long hair, Qui-Gon had vanished, and Anakin had woken up. He ran past to his room, apologizing to a sleepy Padmé as she emerged. The only sign she had just woken was the puffiness around her eyes; she was already dressed, and had somehow put her hair back in an impeccable braided bun through the bleariness of sleep. She smiled as she passed you, and you followed her to the living room. You could smell Shmi cooking a fast breakfast. Looking around and seeing that the hovel was now mostly empty, you decided Jar-Jar must have left with Qui-Gon.

 

“Do you need anything Mama Shmi?” You called, straightening your shirt.

 

“No, go ahead and get ready. We need to leave as soon as we eat.” She didn't need to tell you twice. You went to the window, looking down at the pod as you contemplated the coming hours.

 

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Padmé asked, joining you at the window.

 

 You shrugged. “I'm not sure how we'll get the pod to the track hangar. Normally racers pull them with three Eopies or other animals all the way to the starting line because they're too fast to just fly there, but we only have two we can use. We can pull the engines, but not the pod.” 

 

Padmé considered it for a moment. “We could have R2-D2 pull it there,” she offered. “Astro Droids are made to push through the resistance of space travel to make in-flight repairs. I'm sure R2 is strong enough to pull the pod.” 

 

“Thank you, that would be great,” you grinned, and she smiled back. You could see why Anakin liked her. She was kind, but you could tell she could become serious if the need arose.

 

Breakfast came and went, and you were on the back of an Eopie with Shmi before you knew it, her having done your hair into a simple braid to keep it from blocking your vision in the speed of the pod. The Eopies lumbered along, dragging the engines behind them, and R2 rolled along between them, hauling the pod. You were shocked that such a small droid had the strength to do it. Anakin had insisted on bringing Threepio, armed with a flag matching the pod's design, and the silver droid kept R2 company, babbling on about how dangerous space travel was, and how he would never get into “one of those dreadful starships.”

 

The hangar came into view, and various groups of other racers’ technician teams rushed around, preparing the pods to run. Watto fluttered up to your group as you entered the shade of the building, Qui-Gon following just behind, and the Eopies knelt, allowing their more nimble passengers to slide off their backs. Shmi hesitating, remaining perched upon hers as she surveyed your competition.

 

“Better stop your friend's betting,” Watto chuckled, “or I'll end up owning him too.” You narrowed your eyes at him and he smirked, barely giving you the time of day before he hovered off to the stands.

 

“What did he mean by that?” Anakin asked.

 

 Qui-Gon merely smiled. “I'll tell you later. Good morning, Anakin.” He nodded to you as well, as you had already said your good mornings. He held out a hand, and helped Shmi off the Eopie behind you.

 

Anakin sighed, and dusted off his helmet. You circled the Eopies to stand by him, and you could sense the palpable nervousness coming off him in waves. “We’re gonna do it this time,” you assured him, and he gave you a faint smile that told you he absolutely did not think so.

 

“Do what?” Padmé asked, looking between the pair of you as she approached.

 

“Finish the race! I have a really good feeling about this one.” You flung an arm over Anakin's shoulders, and he wrapped one around your middle. You both smiled up at her, but she didn't return the gesture. In fact, she looked mortified, blanching as pale as your shirt. 

 

Anakin flashed her a reassuring smile. “(Y/n) is right. We'll finish this time,” he said, but Padmé was not consoled, turning her expression toward Qui-Gon as he approached. 

 

Qui-Gon gave you a confident smile. “Of course you will.” Padmé looked at him like he had just said that everything was fine while a house burned down around them. 

 

A tone sounded through the hangar and everyone seemed to move at once, a mass swarm of mechanics, technicians, racers and pods. You and Anakin shared a look, excitement laced with your rising nerves. The Eopies tossed their floppy heads as you gathered their reins, and Anakin moved quickly, gathering your things. Your group fell into line as the racers left the hangar single-file. The suns blinded you as the shade of the hangar fell away into blazing light, bright on the flat, barren track before you. The Eopies and R2 hauled the pod up to the starting line, with Threepio leading and brandishing your team's flag high. The two headed announcer kept a running commentary on who was participating, one head in Huttese, the other in Basic. Padmé unhooked the Eopies and R2 from the pod, while yourself and Anakin connected a few last things. Once those had been secured, you walked around the pod, checking every single bolt, screw and other connection to ensure it was all tight. Qui-Gon watched you work, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

 

“Are you ready?” He asked, looking over the pod as he approached.

 

“No.” You put your hands on your hips just the way Shmi did, a wrench clutched in one, and surveyed the pod. “But the race will start and finish before I am.” You had complete faith in your and Anakin's building skills, no question. You also knew how much Qui-Gon had already bet on your win, and felt there was more at stake he hadn't told you about. Regardless, there was too much at stake to risk anything going wrong because you assumed a connection was fine.

 

Sebulba slunk up behind you, catching Anakin's attention. “You two won't walk away from this one. Skywalker slave scum.”

 

Anakin narrowed his eyes, and you turned to flash Sebulba a dirty look. “Don't count on it, slimeball,” he shot back, and Sebulba glared. 

 

“You're Bantha fodder,” he hissed, looking between Anakin and yourself. He bared his teeth in a snarl, then hobbled off to his racer.

 

“All set Ani?” Qui-Gon asked, and Anakin looked up at him. Looking past him, you saw Shmi hovering nervously. She told you through vague signage that she loved you both, and wished you luck.

 

You turned and watched Sebulba settle himself in his pod, waving and basking in the praise of the crowd with an arrogant confidence. Ani followed your gaze. "Yep," he said.

 

“Alright,” Qui-Gon said, lifting Ani into the pod. He then scooped you under your arms, lifting you high and plopping you into the seat behind him. Leaning in close, he dropped his voice, murmuring quietly to the pair of you. “Remember. Concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think.  Use your instincts.” He met your eyes. “Trust them, and don't hesitate.”

 

“We will,” Ani promised, double checking the dash controls, and you nodded your agreement. Qui-Gon seemed pleased, stepping back from the side of the pod.

 

“May the Force be with you.” He handed you your helmets and stepped away, giving you each a small bow. He strode away to a viewing platform, where Padmé and Jar-Jar had already joined Shmi. She gripped a viewing tablet with white knuckled hands, looking between it and your pod anxiously. You saw an exchange take place between the Jedi and the handmaiden-- Padmé was clearly less than impressed by the current state of the day's events--and the platform went up, lifting the group high above the track.


	11. The Race: Lap One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first lap of the race.   
> How will it bode for the remaining laps?
> 
>  
> 
> (Discovered today that I have massive paragraph breaks that didn't show up that way for me on mobile, so I will work on fixing those as I post)

 The announcers’ mixed language babble and the crowd's cheering faded to a muffled drone as you put on your helmet, flicking the goggles down over your eyes. The crowd roared again, and you looked up to see Jabba the Hutt slowly work his way into the outer area of the Royal Box, greeting the crowd with outstretched arms. He thundered something, and you barely caught that he initiated the race sequence over the sudden roar of engines and coupler beams. The beam of the energy binder shot between your own pod's engines, and they flared to life as Ani flicked a button. You watched Threepio hurriedly trot off the track with the flag, doing his best to keep formation with the other flag bearers as he ran out of the way. Your insides writhed and you buzzed with excitement, looking over the track before you as chills raced over your skin in waves.

 

“You ready?” Ani yelled back at you, and you nodded earnestly, grinnning, not that he could see it. 

 

You leaned forward, yelling back over the deafening roar and drone of engines. “More than ready!”

 

Tension and anticipation built in the air as everyone, racers and crowd alike, stared at Jabba. He seemed to be the only one not feeling the excitement as he lazily crunched the head off a still-squirming creature, each move slow and deliberate, as if he were bored. Without warning, he spat it at the gong, and the first circuit light blinked on over the track. Pods around you shot past screaming as the crowd boomed, but your pod lurched forward, stalled, and died, taking the entirety of your good mood with it. Laughter rose from the crowd at your pod and another racer, a quadra-pod, who had also stalled.

 

 Ani shifted a few plugs around, sending power through the engines. They thought about starting, flaring a few times without result. You instinctively braced as the engines ignited in a bright flash of light, sending you shooting off after the other racers.

 

 Mesa-dotted desert flashed past as you followed the other racers towards a canyon, quickly gaining on them as they maneuvered through the forest of rocky columns. You thundered past the straggling racers, cringing at the smoking remains of a crashed yellow-green pod on the side of the track as you passed. The expansion of desert opened up only for a moment, the sky stretching wide overhead, before the racers ahead of you merged to fly single-file into the canyon ahead. Ani followed suit, aligning to fly into the narrow space between the high walls of mesa. The echo of the engines off the high rocks was haunting, but you were glad to be freed of the sun’s intense scrutiny for a time.  Blurred glimpses of distance crowd and maintenance crew workers in the natural hollows and widened shoulders of the track sped past as you zipped along the track, barely having time to marvel at the little settlements built into the sides of the walls before they were gone.

 The pod swung around another curve that spat you out into the open desert again, sending you hurtling towards a field of rock arches. Ani wove through the pillars, dodging rocks and other racers as you headed for the next canyon. It wasn't as enclosed, nor as long, its curved walls littered with sharp-looking stalactites, and it led you right into the dark mouth of a cave.

A faint humid smell hit you as the blinding sun fell away to the shade and sudden cold of the cave, and you rested your hands on Anakin's shoulders, ready to help him discern the path. Your eyes shifted quickly, permitting you to see the sharp, ragged edges that twisted a vague semblance of a trail in detail, and you pressed Ani’s shoulders accordingly. Your small pod raced past several others as Ani mirrored your signals, unhindered by the pitch dark as the others fumbled for light, or piloted with muscle memory and the faint glow of their ignited engines and couplers to lead them. You were both grateful for the patches of natural light that filtered in through holes in the tunnel’s ceiling, but the other racers had less luck where the sun’s reach ended. One such racer slammed into a wide stalactite with a scream, causing you to flinch and brace as Ani swerved out of the way. He hit the accelerator hard, speeding forward and shooting from the tunnel exit as flames from the blast licked the back of your neck.

The pod hit the next leg of track full blast, and wind whipped you through your shirt as you flew around a wide curve cut into the side of high dunes. Ani stabilized the pod, slowing just enough to save yourselves the pain of the wind, but you still passed another racer with a quick swerve. A new sound peppered the air. You let go of Ani’s shoulders with a jump as shots sparked across the nose of the pod. Flipping around just in time, you saw a band of Tusken Raiders camped on a dune, firing on the racers in flashes of red light. Your head was jerked roughly to the side as you turned around, and a repetitive shrill beeping filled your ears. Terror froze your stomach, and you clawed at your helmet, scrabbling at the chin strap. It gave way as the beeping sped up, and you ripped the helmet from your head, gasping as the wind roared into your ears and yanked your braid. Without thinking, you threw your helmet as hard as you could. You opened your mouth to yell a warning as another racer flew right towards it, but you were too late. The charge that had been fired into the helmet exploded in chunks of padded shrapnel that flew into their engines, jamming the mechanics for only a second before they too exploded. The fiery wreck was behind you in a moment as you sped around the last bend.

 

You hardly paid attention to the stadium and the grounded pilot on the service shoulder as you passed the crowds, running neck and neck with another racer. Instead, the flat plain ahead put into perspective exactly how far behind the lead your pod was. Sebulba was a mere speck ahead of you, swerving towards another repeatedly. Even at a distance, it was obvious that he was trying to take down his opponent by way of flashing his vents. You’d been on the wrong end of that before. Your heart sank. Something in you still held an unwavering hope that you’d catch up and win, so much so that you felt it was inevitable, but Sebulba seemed impossibly far away to try to catch in less than two laps. Qui-Gon’s parting words flashed through your mind, and you took a deep breath against the roaring wind, deciding that it would be better to sulk in disappointment and guilt later than lose to an excess of pessimism. 


	12. The Race: Lap Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Force doesn't seem particularly thrilled with you and Anakin today, but hey, it could be worse. Much worse. 
> 
> In which you narrowly avoid several fiery incidents.

Your hope was restored as Anakin flew up just behind the next racer ahead of you, but as he tried to pass him, the racer moved over, blocking your path as you wove through the leadup to the first canyon. He tried the other side, but the racer blocked you there too. Ani slowed slightly as you reached the mouth of the canyon, swerving to get to the racer’s side. The ground dropped suddenly in a lip, and Ani shoved forward on the controls, sending you shooting forward. You cheered as you sailed past the racer, leaving him in your dust as Ani shifted the pod back into line, but your glee was drowned out by the droning scream of pod engines. 

 

You zipped past several other racers, narrowly avoiding a few nasty sideswipes, until you were neck and neck with a new racer. He  clipped your engines with his own, unsuccessfully trying to flash you with his vents. When that failed, he dropped something that looked like a charge as he began to close the gap between your pod and the rock formations. You held your breath, knowing that Ani would not have any of that, and instinctively held onto the pod sides as Ani spun the pod, flipping you clean over the racer’s head. He hit the accelerators and you shot forward, leaving this bit of your competition behind like the rest.  

 

You barely had time to register that you had not only passed another racer, but that you had gone somewhat off course. Bracing yourself in a flash of sudden panic, you suppressed a scream as the pod plunged off a cliff, still zipping forward at full throttle. It took you a moment of recovery to realize that you had taken a shortcut, more or less--the Hutts didn’t care about small cheats like that, unless it impacted their bets--and that you were now just behind Sebulba and his main tie for the lead. A flutter sparked in your chest, and you were suddenly thrilled that you had decided to remain hopeful. Chills took your arms again as Ani pulled the pod up close behind them. You knew this tactic; he wouldn’t take the chance to pass either of them until they had dealt with each other. You had tried it once, and they ended up teaming up on you. It was easier to let one take care of part of your remaining competition than take on both at once. 

 

The track opened into the open plain before the arch field, and like clockwork, Sebulba made his move. You glimpsed something in his hand--a bottle of some sort, it seemed--and a moment later, it was flying back through the air, heading for the other racer. Their pod engine made an ungodly clanking rumble, then burst into flame, disintegrating into rubble almost instantly. The other engine tore itself apart on the sand, and the combined shrapnel flew through the air, carrying the cockpit with it. Anakin wove and dodged his way through the cloud of debris and sand, then hit the accelerator again, determined to take his chance to catch Sebulba. 

 

If the Force was with you in that moment, Luck certainly was not. A straggling piece of debris seemed to fly out of nowhere from the storm of metal behind you, clipping the connector for the right engine. The cockpit began to spin wildly on the connection for the other engine, and you were just grateful that the coupler and steering bars managed to keep things together. You swallowed hard as the spinning began to push your breakfast back up your throat, but through the nausea, you pulled a magnetized tool from where it had been secured near your feet. Relief washed through you as Ani flipped buttons, stabilizing the cockpit and stopping the spinning, but other racers took advantage of your plight, kicking up dust as they zoomed by. Frustration and a renewed determination to win bubbled up inside you and you reached out with the tool as far as your arms would allow, aiming for the metal end of the connector. The coupler flickered a few times, but the metal piece snapped to the tool with a reassuring snap. You quickly plugged it back into its place, working furiously to tighten the hardware. It didn’t latch on as securely as it originally had, but at this point, you knew that you were both lucky that it was connected at all.

 

The engines roared to full power again as you hit the stalactite canyon, and Anakin had little trouble overtaking those who saw opportunity in your plight. You couldn’t blame them; when it came to pod racing, morals didn’t make you a hero, and winning at any cost was what mattered to the crowd. The cave tunnel came up quickly and your hands found Ani’s shoulders. It turned out that the racer who had crashed in the tunnel had, in fact, managed to improve it. The blast from their pod had not only cleared several other stalactites and stalagmites, but had also punched another hole in the ceiling, illuminating more of the cave than had been afforded previously. You managed to pass another racer just before the tunnel spat you into the exposed desert, and your stomach did a delighted flip to see that Sebulba was now the only thing standing between your pod and victory.

 

A flurry of popping rattled the air again as the Tusken Raiders sent down another shower of blaster fire. They managed to avoid hitting the pod, and to your dismay, Sebulba’s, but you turned to look back over your shoulder as the engines of the last racer you passed slammed into the ground, sending their pod up in a bright flash of flame. Ani pushed on the accelerator again, speeding away from the crash and the Raiders. 

 

The last canyon shot you out over the open desert, and goosebumps prickled your skin in spite of the intense heat when you saw the familiar form of the stands begin to rise out of the horizon in a shimmering wave. You were gaining on Sebulba now, and the thundering of his massive engines became clearer over the roar of your own with every passing second. The stands passed in a blur of walls, color, and cheering that was barely audible between the sounds of wind and engines already filling your ears. You were certain that if you and Ani made it out of this race alive, you wouldn’t have any eardrums left; but if this panned out, it would certainly be worth it. 


	13. The Race: Lap Three & Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebulba has it out for you. You have a death wish. Anakin is just trying to fly the pod.
> 
> The last lap of your race. Will you win?

The bottom of the canyon yawned down to your right as Anakin tailed Sebulba, carefully weaving around the narrow path. Caution was not synonymous with slow, however, and your heart did several jumps when the edge of the pod drew a little too near the edge of the overhang. Sebulba peeked over his shoulder at you, and his whiskers wiggled wildly as he cackled, seeming to find your determination to catch him hilarious. The second the little canyon trail widened into flat desert, Ani threw caution to the wind as he lunged the pod forward, ready to catch and pass the Dug. Despite his best efforts, however, you were only able to catch up right to the back of his pod before the walls of the single-file canyon closed around the pods, making any attempt to pass him dangerous at best, and deadly at worst.

 

Anakin surprised you, however, and when the canyon gave its first slight widening, he hit the speed and swerved, pulling up alongside Sebulba’s right side. You decided it couldn’t have been that bad of a decision, because you didn’t feel the need to panic as much as you normally would have. That nearly changed when Sebulba swerved slightly and clipped your engine, shoving you just slightly off course. Anakin didn’t have time to counter the move and you cringed, bracing as the coupler slammed through the marking poles at the edge of the track. 

 

He managed to get you back on course after the impact made your pod harshly buck several times, but Sebulba had other plans, swerving to knock you back off course. Ahead of you, curious spectators scattered as you were shoved into a ramp. Wood flew as your engines hit the end barrier, and splinters flew as you were taken straight up the steep climb of the ramp. You were certain that every muscle in your body tensed as the ramp launched you high into the sky, giving you a clear view of the open desert at the top of the canyon walls. The pod hovered for a moment, seeming to float, and your stomach mirrored the action within your body. It did the same as the pod plummeted back toward the ground in a nosedive. Over Ani’s shoulder, you saw him guide the fall back into the canyon, then flip several switches, directing the majority of the power to the engines. You pressed yourself into the seat, bracing for the whiplash. Anakin hit the brakes, slowing your descent into something more controlled, then slammed the controls forward. In a blast of ignition light, you shot over Sebulba’s head, landing cleanly on the track ahead of him. 

 

Sebulba’s fury was palpable, and you heard it in the desperate roar of his engines as he began putting forth the effort to make the pair of you regret your decision. The echo of engines fell away when the canyon opened up, and Sebulba sped up, using the same tactic you had tried to use previously. The thunderous chugging of his engines shook your skull as he came up behind you. Risking a glance over your shoulder, you discovered that he wasn’t just close; his engines were practically eating the back of your pod, and his energy beam was dangerously close to the back of the pod. Each of his engines were easily three times the size of your pod’s cockpit, and having one on either side of you was intimidating. Ani had noticed his new tactic too, and pushed ahead on the accelerator. 

 

The field of arches came up fast, and Ani set into a series of quick swerving maneuvers, avoiding columns and boulders and the sides of mesas as he tried desperately to stay on the track. Anxiety seeped from him like water from a faulty faucet. You rested a light hand on his shoulder, offering a gentle squeeze, hoping it helped to ground him. If he could have heard over the screaming, deafening wind and engines, you would have reminded him of what Qui-Gon said. It was obvious that he was _trying_ to work on instinct, but you couldn’t blame him for his inability to focus on feeling. Sebulba’s engines were practically swallowing your pod whole, and Anakin just barely managed to stay ahead of him as he all but pushed your pod around corners, working its comparably tiny engines harder and harder. You were certain that he could run you over and be done with it if he really wanted to, but you didn’t need to look back to know that he was enjoying making you scared and uncomfortable first.

 

Over Ani’s shoulder, you glimpsed a piece on the side of the engine flapping in the wind. Your stomach sank. You had been so careful with checking, so _meticulous_ , because you didn’t want something like this to jeopardize your chances in the race. Despite your efforts, here this piece was, violently flipping around by the end of a wire. You wondered if it was the speed you were being forced to keep, or if it had somehow escaped your attention. Time to dwell on the cause of the loose part ran out quickly. You watched, seemingly in slow motion, and your stomach sank as the wire snapped, sending the part flying.

 

The engine died in a puff of black smoke, and the overwhelming bass of Sebulba’s engines lessened. Glancing over your shoulder, you saw he had backed off, the dark trail coming off your engine blowing directly into his face. He coughed and hacked, waving his hand wildly in front of his face as he tried to clear his personal airspace. Flames licked the metalwork as the engine burned. Anakin desperately flicked switches as he tried to close the vent and snuff the flames, but the proper button produced no result from the latch on the engine. 

 

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you heard Qui-Gon's words, and you knew what you needed to do. You braced as Ani zoomed around a curve, trailing smoke, and flinched as Sebulba roared past. As you hit the flat stretch, you hopped out of the pod, clinging to the side, and made sure the connections were tight leading to the burnt engine.

 

“What are you doing?!” Ani yelled, clinging to the controls as he tugged on the vent latch in vain. “Get back in the pod!” 

 

“You fly, I fix, that's what I'm here for!” You yelled back. Technically, you were meant to fix the pod itself, not the engines. Anakin could manage piloting and dash repair himself easily. It was damage away from the controls that you were responsible for. He yelled something else, but it got lost in the wind. 

 

 Then you lunged from the pod and clung to the connecting wire, dropping your weight.  You slid towards the engine the best you could with the wind speed trying to push you back, inching along one hand at a time as fast as you could manage. Smoke began to kick back in your face and you held your breath. You swatted the engine the second you were within arm’s reach, and your fingertips caught the vent door, slamming it shut and cutting the smoke. The small orange tongues of flame vanished with it. You gave Ani a thumbs up as best you could, and he hesitated. You looked desperately between Sebulba's departing pod, then back to Anakin, increasing your grip on the wire as you braced. Giving him a short nod, you saw the doubt written all over his face as he worked with the controls, switching to auxillary, and the engine flared to life, shooting the pod forward with a new kick of speed. 

 

Your fingers began to slip, and fear punched you in the stomach, the realization that you couldn't hold on all the way to the finish line hitting you. A spared look ahead told you that Ani was gaining lost ground on Sebulba. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to find your instincts through the fear. Opening your eyes, your knew that if you let go, you could fly back and catch the seat, but not yet.

 

Maneuvering the remaining field of arches threatened to forcefully remove you from the single tube you clung to, but you somehow managed to hold on as Ani made up for lost time. You saw him keep glancing toward you as he tried to focus on where he was going, and you knew he was afraid that he would send you flying. You were scared of it too; losing your grip would mean the difference between life and death for you, but you met his eyes, and tried to mentally send him a feeling of reassurance, wishing it were possible to send feelings like that. His expression relaxed some, and you began to wonder if you had actually done it when his focus returned to the track ahead, a cautious confidence in his eyes. The curve of the stalactite tunnel pulled you up into the air with Ani’s speed, and your shoulders began to ache from the pull. You refused to let go, no matter how much it ached to hold on. The darkness of the tunnel enveloped you, and Ani zipped through it, drawing closer to Sebulba with each passing second. When Ani banked to safely exit the canyon, you were certain you would be flung from the wire to certain death as you were flipped towards the ground, but your painful grip kept you safe, even when you were tossed back upwards by the pod righting itself horizontally.

 

Ani came up alongside Sebulba and the Dug slammed into the pod hard, engines and all. The wires whipped with the impact, and the rolling motion of the wires flung you clean off, narrowly sparing you the pain of a steering bar flattening you as the two pods linked together beneath your airborne form. Your instincts assured you that this was meant to happen, but the logical part of you was not so certain as you flew backwards, tumbling across the pod side, sand burning your throat. You weren't sure if you were screaming, but if you weren't, the pod engines were doing more than enough for you. You reached out, grabbing blindly, and your hand closed around the back of the second pod seat. You dragged yourself forward against the press of the wind, sliding across the polished hull and down into the seat ungracefully.

 

“You are insane!” Anakin  yelled, trying to pull away from Sebulba's pod. The Dug grinned darkly, trying to shove the bar further into the workings of the pod, but his brow furrowed as he realized he was only making himself more stuck, not hindering your progress.

 

“I did what I had to do! We have to win,” you shot back, glaring at Sebulba as he snarled. “There is more at stake this time than Watto's prize money!”

Anakin pulled away with newfound determination, as if you had just reminded him of that fact. You watched as the steering rods clashed, straining with a screech of metal as each cockpit struggled for control, flying neck and neck. You knew that if you went over the finish line like this, Sebulba would still win. His massive engines stuck out much farther than your own, and he would be counted as crossing first, even if the pilots crossed the line together. You held your breath, willing things to work out in your favor. Ani and Sebulba had become almost completely focused on freeing themselves. Ani tugged the controls to the right, trying to jiggle the steering rod loose, and Sebulba yanked on his own controls with the full strength of his body, as if that would give him an advantage. The steering rods screeched with the strain, pulling tighter and tighter against each other. Ani reached down and hit a lever, sending your pod’s engines into the fastest drive they could achieve.  You watched, almost mesmerized, as Sebulba's steering gave with a harsh snap. His pod spun away as you gaped, engines rolling across the barren desert before exploding in a sour cloud of smoke. The Dug’s cockpit slid to an anticlimactic stop with him inside, and your gape turned into a grin. Not only was that image entirely hilarious, but the realization of what it meant hit you all at once.

 

Your pod flew towards the arena, past the fiercely screaming crowd, and dashed across the finish line. Ani pulled back the controls harshly, banking, and you both jumped out as it skidded and hovered to a stop, slithering down the smooth exterior. You lunged for Anakin with a howling whoop of delight; he nearly tackled you as he plunged forward to return your embrace, his own yells of delight melding with that of the crowd. You gripped each other tightly and screamed victoriously, bouncing on your toes, not letting go until the people crowding around forced you apart. Qui-Gon rescued Ani from the press of the crowd, lifting him up onto his shoulders and bouncing him in celebration with a brilliant grin. You yelped as Jar-Jar followed suit, hauling you up high over the pressing crowd. You and Ani grinned at one another as your group pushed through the crowd of people that swarmed you, as well as those who were just trying to escape the stands before the main crowd flooded out.

 

“Mom! Mom we did it!” Ani yelled, beaming down at Shmi from his Jedi perch. She looked horribly frazzled. If you thought she had been upset when the Raiders shot at you, you hadn't considered how she would react to you dangling from a literal wire at winning speed. She smiled, relief blossoming across her face that you were alright, and you returned the expression as you were carried toward the hangar. Despite the crowd now being split between cheering and arguments, as many people had lost significant bets on Sebulba, everything seemed very quiet to you now after the sound of the pod race directly in your ears.The second your feet hit the hangar floor, Jar-Jar and Padmé descended, gripping you both in tight hugs. Shmi followed behind, her embrace more gentle, but lingering in comparison. 

 

“We owe you both everything,” Padmé said, her gaze flitting between you both. Any trace of doubt that had been there before was gone, replaced by relief and delight. You returned her smile, but glanced past her to see Qui-Gon watching you, looking for all the galaxy proud, but also curious. Shmi nodded deeply in agreement with Padmé, kneeling before you and Anakin.

 

“This is so wonderful. You have both brought hope to those who have none. I am so very proud of you,” she said, tears glimmering in her eyes. You both leaned in and cocooned her in a warm embrace. Tears of your own stung your eyes as she held you there, rubbing her hands over your backs comfortingly. “But (y/n), please don’t ever do something like that again. You didn’t even have a helmet on!” 

 

You only split apart at the sound of Watto yelling, hovering angrily towards your group.

 

“You!” He snapped, pointing a stubby finger at Qui-Gon. “You swindled me! Somehow you knew those children were going to win, somehow you knew it! I lost everything!” You shared a look with Ani and Shmi. Watto always was a sore loser. The Toydarian in question hovered right up to Qui-Gon, trunk nose wiggling mere inches from the Jedi's face.

 

To your surprise, Qui-Gon merely smiled at Watto. “When you gamble, my blue friend, you will eventually lose. Bring the parts to the main hangar.” He strolled forward, casually driving Watto away and out of earshot. You heard him say something else, and Watto yelled about it not being a fair bet. He murmured a reply, and Watto fluttered backwards, looking defeated and resigned.

 

When they were done settling their bet, you waved as Qui-Gon, Jar-Jar, Padmé and R2 rode and rolled away, swaying on the Eopies with each loping step as they headed for the outskirts. The hovel seemed empty with everyone gone, and you walked back inside stiffly, your body aching in the aftermath of your daring rescue. Anakin bathed first, then yourself, both washing off the caked on sand and exhaust fumes that had accumulated on your exposed skin, sending the dark water and stress of the day spiraling away. You changed into clean clothes as well, while the clatter of pots and pans sounded from the kitchen as Shmi began to put together a small meal to celebrate.


	14. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qui-Gon takes the parts back to the ship. 
> 
> Obi-Wan assumes that the lifeforms Qui-Gon picks up are pathetic.

Qui-Gon and his company loped up to the ship on the backs of the Eopies, and R2 rolled along in front of them. Obi-Wan came down the ramp to meet them, looking frustrated to no small degree. 

 

“We have all the essential parts we need,” Qui-Gon said, holding out the bag of parts. Obi-Wan took them from him, unsuccessfully trying to shade his eyes. “I'm going back. There is some unfinished business I must attend to. I won't be long.”

 

Obi-Wan looked up, squinting through the light of the suns as he readjusted the bag,  cradling it against his tunic. “Why do I sense we've picked up yet another pathetic lifeform?”

 

Qui-Gon scowled, silently chastising his Padawan. “They are the children responsible for securing those parts. The boy is intelligent and kind. The girl is bold and inquisitive. I think you will enjoy their company more than the Gungan's.” His gaze softened, but remained stern. “Get this hyperdrive generator installed.”

 

Obi-Wan bowed. “Yes, Master. It should not take long.” He turned and headed back to the ship, following Padmé and Jar-Jar inside. R2 whistled as he rolled up the ramp, ready to help. Qui-Gon watched them go for a moment before gathering the other Eopie's reins, leading it away as he rode back towards Mos Espa.

 


	15. The Parting Words Of Shmi Skywalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Anakin are not coping well with change.  
> At least you have each other.
> 
> In which you permanently leave home for the first time in your life, and see your home as it has always been for the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am making it my mission to try to get through the prequels before the Obi-Wan series comes out, not that I'll necessarily be able to watch it thanks to Disney+ making it exclusive, but because it will drive me crazy not being able to follow canon with it for you guys if I can't watch it, and I can be okay with that canon-divergence if I've already written over that time for this series.
> 
> Also, I believe a new Rise of Skywalker trailer came out this morning, so there's that!

Qui-Gon found you just outside the hovel, sweeping sand off the porch. It really did get everywhere, even when there weren't storms coating the settlement in dust. “Hello again. Where is Ani? I would like to speak to you both.”

 

You looked up wide eyed, stunned to see him. After the race, you were certain they would install the generator and be gone before sunset. “Oh, he's inside. Let me get him.” You propped the broom against the door and ducked inside.

 

“Ani,” you said, poking your head into the kitchen. He was standing atop a box, helping Shmi cut up ingredients for a dinner stew. He looked over his shoulder. “Qui-Gon is back. He wants to talk to us.”

 

“Why'd he come back?” Ani stopped cutting, sliding the chopped ingredients into a bowl.

 

You shrugged, and Ani looked to Shmi. She nodded to the pair of you. “Go ahead. Come back before the suns set.” Ani picked up the bowl and brought it to her as he headed for the door, and she tipped the contents into the pot. 

 

Qui-Gon was staring off into the distance, hands folded when you emerged with Ani. You wondered if he spent all his free time meditating. He broke from his trance, smiling as he focused on the pair of you. “Ah, Ani. I am glad you could join us. Walk with me.” He pushed off the wall, strolling along the border of the Slave Quarters. 

 

“What did you want to talk to us about?” You asked, following just behind him. Each of his steps was two, nearly three for your short legs, and you were grateful that he kept his pace to a slow wander. Beside you, Ani was having the same trouble, and both of you were trying to cover the effort it took to keep up.

 

“I sense you will no longer have any need to participate in pod races after this,” he began, speaking slowly. “Therefore, I wondered if you would like to sell your pod. I am aware you gave it to me to bargain with under the circumstances of the race, but as you both built it, it seemed only kind to ask.”

 

“What will you do with the money?” Ani asked.

 

Qui-Gon seemed proud that he had the sense to ask, glancing from the corner of his eye. “The money acquired from the sale will remain with your mother. I would not take advantage.” 

 

You and Ani shared another of your communicative looks, this one not as long as when you discussed the decision to bring Qui-Gon and his merry band of galactic misfits into your home. You looked back to Qui-Gon together, nodding your consent. “We could use the money,” you admitted. “Watto provides for us, but he prefers to put most of his money into the shop. Or gamble it.”

 

The Jedi seemed to approve. “Very well. Wait here. I will be back soon.” He gave a small bow, then departed, heading vaguely in the direction of the bazaar.

 

“He's nice,” Ani said. You both watched him go before settling yourselves against the wall, sliding down to the shady ground to wait.

 

“He is,” you agreed. “I really can't believe we won the race.”

 

“We probably wouldn't have if you hadn't been that stupid. What were you thinking?” Ani looked to you, brow furrowed under his blonde bangs as the tone of the conversation turned. “You could have gotten yourself killed doing that.”

 

“I had to do something. The vent shutter wasn't working and Sebulba was getting away. Like I said, there was too much at stake for us to risk losing.” 

 

Ani took your hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze. “I would rather have lost the race than you,” he retorted. “We could have helped Qui-Gon and Padmé steal their ship and the parts back later or something. I couldn't have gotten you back if--” You looked away as his voice broke, not meeting his blue eyes. He swallowed, continuing. “Don't do anything crazy like that again.”

 

You sighed, a small smile pulling up your lips. “No promises.” He gave you a serious look. “Skywalkers get into too much trouble for me to promise that. Even if I weren't an honorary one, you're my best friend, and I'm not gonna let you run off into danger without me if I can help it.” You finally looked up at him, and saw that he was smiling back. 

 

“Just don't run off into danger without me, either.” He gave your hand a squeeze. “Promise?”

 

You squeezed his hand in return. “Promise.”

 

Qui-Gon came around the corner with a sweep of his poncho, looking pleased with himself. He paused, looking between the two of you with raised eyebrows, as if he did not expect you to sit down and wait exactly where he had told you to. You and Ani scrambled to your feet, and followed as he began to walk you back to the hovel. 

 

“Your pod sold quickly. The buyer was willing to pay a very handsome price for it. You should be proud of your handiwork,” he said. He lifted his poncho, drawing a large handful of credits from a pouch. It took both of Ani’s hands to hold the stack, and your jaw dropped in disbelief. You and Ani grinned at each other, and before Qui-Gon could say any more, Ani raced to the hovel door with you close behind.

 

“Mom!” He yelled, and you both thundered through the door in delight. “Mom, Qui-Gon sold the pod! Look at all the money we have!” He passed the credits across the counter to Shmi, and her jaw dropped in disbelief. She spread them out to judge just how much was there.

 

“Oh my goodness, this is wonderful Ani,” she breathed, shaking her head at the money. 

 

Qui-Gon had slipped in the door after you, quietly waiting for the excitement to die down. “Anakin and (y/n) have also been freed.”

 

You whipped around, wide-eyed. “What?!” you and Anakin said in unison.

 

He smiled. Even in times of excitement, he seemed to maintain a careful, peaceful composure. “You are no longer slaves.”

 

Anakin turned back to Shmi, smiling ear to ear. “Did you hear that? We're free!” He looked back to Qui-Gon just as quickly. “Does this mean we get to come with you in your starship?!”

 

Your face fell as you registered what Qui-Gon had said. “What about Mama Shmi?”

 

Qui-Gon shook his head gravely. “I could not free your mother, (y/n). Watto would not have it, no matter what I offered.”

 

Ani's face fell as well, but Shmi took his hands in her own. “Now you can make your dreams come true, Ani. You both can.” She looked up to Qui-Gon, forehead bunched with worry. “Will you take them with you? Are they to become Jedi?”

 

Qui-Gon nodded. “Yes. Our meeting was no coincidence. Nothing happens by accident. This was the will of the Force.” He knelt down to you both  “Training to become a Jedi is not an easy challenge,” he warned, his face stern and serious, “and if you succeed, it is a hard life.”

 

“But I want to go.” Anakin looked torn. 

 

“It's what we've always dreamed of doing,” you added, summoning up your determination. 

 

Ani nodded, and your words seemed to offer him some stability in his indecision. He looked back to Shmi. “Can we go, Mom?”

 

Shmi sighed deeply. You could see hesitation in her eyes, and concern. “This path has been placed before you both. The choice is yours, and yours alone.” 

 

Ani thought for a moment. “I want to do it,” he said resolutely. 

 

You felt Qui-Gon and Shmi's eyes lock on you. You didn’t necessarily want to leave Shmi. As a matter of fact, guilt over leaving her was twisting in your stomach like a snake. But as you met Shmi’s eyes, they softened, and she nodded, and that was all you needed. “I want to go too.” 

 

“Then you should both pack your things. We haven't much time.” Qui-Gon straightened, but neither you nor Anakin moved. 

 

“Can't you come too?” Ani asked. “We could talk to Watto--”

 

Shmi shook her head. “We could not convince him any better than Qui-Gon,” she said softly. You both knew it was true. “My place is here. My future is here. It is time for you both to let go. You deserve so much more than this life.”

 

“I don't want things to change,” you added. Ani seemed to feel the sentiment equally, if not more so. You heard him give a very quiet sniffle, as if he were holding back a few tears.

 

“(Y/n), you cannot stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting. It is a part of life that we must accept for what it is.” She tucked a lock of hair behind your ear. “Now hurry. If you can get your things together quickly enough, I will fix your hair.”

 

Ani drew her down into a hug, and you followed suit, squeezing her tightly before following him to the hallway on quick feet. You froze as you turned the corner, hearing Qui-Gon speak to Shmi.

 

“I'll watch after them. You have my word. Will you be alright?” You heard him ask quietly. 

 

You didn't hear her reply for a moment, but you could picture her, and the solemn nod you were sure she gave. “Yes,” you heard her say, and you kept moving, not sure if you would maintain your resolve if you heard any more.

 

You dragged your clothes from the dresser, stuffing them into a bag. You had very little in the way of small sentimental items; you cared more about project-like things like Threepio. You took a blanket from the bed, one woven from softened Bantha fur that Shmi had made for you when you were much smaller. Anakin had one similar, and you wondered if he would bring his. You hastily stuffed the remainder of your belongings into your bag and snapped it shut, looking around your empty room. It seemed strange without any trace of you visibly left in it. You pushed the feeling aside. Shmi had told you to let go, and you were going to do your best to try, even if it pulled tears from your eyes. You knew you might not be able to make yourself leave if you thought about it too long; your eyes already stung faintly with a hint of tears that you hastily blinked away. 

 

You wandered down the hall to Ani's room, where you found him still stuffing his belongings haphazardly into his bag. Threepio had been activated, and for all his immovable expression, he looked stunned and a little mortified at the goings on. 

 

“I'm going to miss working on you,” Ani said regretfully, shoving down the clothes in his bag. “You've been a great pal. I'll make sure mom doesn't sell you or anything.”

 

“ _Sell me?_ ” Threepio gasped, staring. He caught sight of you in the doorway. “(Y/n)! You're not leaving too?”

 

You nodded, shifting your bag on your shoulder. “I am, I'm sorry,” you said, walking up to your droid. He hung his head as best he could, his neck making it a stiff movement. You felt a pang of guilt, looking over his unfinished form. While his face, arms and legs had been covered for the most part, much of him was still exposed wire and parts. “Take care of mom for us, will you? She'll need all the help she can get.” You hesitated. “She'll be pretty lonely too. I think she'll like having you around.” 

 

Threepio seemed to brighten at that. You considered fitting on his remaining coverings, but as Ani snapped his bag shut, you knew there was no time. “Take care, Threepio. Don't get into too much sand, it's bad for your joints. I'll ask Mama Shmi to get your coverings on, alright?” You wrapped your arms around his middle. “We'll come back to see you someday.”

 

Threepio nodded stiffly and awkwardly patted your back. “I wish you well, and I anticipate the day we may meet again. Goodbye, Miss (y/n). I will miss you and Master Anakin very much.”

 

You let go, moving out of the way so Anakin could give him a hug. “Goodbye Threepio,” you said sadly. Anakin echoed your sentiment as he followed you out the door. 

 

Shmi was perched on the couch when you emerged, and patted the cushion in front of her. You dropped your bag on the chair and hopped up, sitting with your back straight as she combed her fingers through your hair. You watched Ani wander over to the table and pluck a piece of fruit from the bowl. Qui-Gon joined him, pulling up a chair, and Ani began to ask all sorts of questions about their starship.

 

“Mama Shmi,” you said softly. “Are you sure you're gonna be okay?”

 

Her fingers paused in your hair, but then kept moving, weaving your (h/c) locks into a secure, but pretty braid. “Don't you worry about me, (y/n). I will miss you terribly, but I will be alright.”

 

You considered that for a moment. “Why do you want us to go, if it'll hurt you for us to leave?”

 

She secured your hair, tucking in the stray wisps that had escaped her plaiting. You turned around, looking at her with wide eyes. She offered you a small smile. “When you love someone,” she said softly, “you want them to be happy, whether you are what brings them happiness or not.” You leaned forward, wrapping your arms around her neck. Her arms closed gently around your back. “This opportunity will bring you far more happiness than the life of a slave ever could, (y/n). I know it hurts to say goodbye, but the pain will fade. Qui-Gon will take care of you.” She peeled you off her front, looking you gently in the eyes with a sad smile. “Now, go get your bag. Your future is waiting for you.”

 

You and Anakin followed Qui-Gon out into the familiar blazing heat, shouldering your bags. Halfway down the street, you and Ani looked back, seeing her watch from the doorway. The look on her face sent a sharp jab of sadness through your heart, and a quick glance at Anakin told you he saw the same thing. You barely glanced at Qui-Gon before you took off, dashing back to her with Ani close behind. Shmi knelt and caught you in her arms, then Anakin.

 

“I can't do it, mom,” Anakin said. You could hear the rising tears in his voice. “I just can't do it.” Shmi squeezed you both in a hug. You didn't need to speak for her to know you felt the same.

 

“Ani, (y/n),” she said softly, rubbing your backs as she tried to find the right words. 

 

“Will we ever see you again?” Ani pulled back, and you saw the faint gleam of tears in his eyes. 

 

“What does your heart tell you?” Shmi asked, holding you both out before her at arm's length. 

 

“I hope so,” he said quietly. 

 

You paid attention to your own gut, trying to tell. You drew in a deep breath. “Yes.” You weren't quite sure what you would do if you never saw her or Threepio again. You didn't want to think about it.

 

“Then we will see each other again,” she said, as if it were a pure statement of fact. 

 

“We'll come back and free you too, mom,” Ani said quietly, doing his best to press down his rising emotions. Neither of you wanted to cry in front of Qui-Gon, who had stopped ahead to watch. “Just like in our dreams.”

 

Shmi nodded as if she didn't quite believe it. “I only hope to see you both again,” she said reassuringly. “Now be brave, both of you, and don't look back.” She looked you both dead in the eyes. “Don't look back.” She drew you both in for another tight hug, then released you, gently pushing your shoulders as she guided you towards Qui-Gon. 

 

You kept walking, closing your eyes as you tried to commit her face to memory, but you knew you couldn't forget it if you tried. The pit of your stomach told you to look back, just glance over your shoulder to glimpse her one more time, but you kept your eyes forward, marching right up to Qui-Gon. He kept walking when you caught up, and the urge to look back hit again, stronger this time. From the corner of your eye, you saw Anakin just barely glance over his shoulder.  The saddened look he bore when he faced forward again told you that you would not like what you saw if you did. When you finally gave in, you were some distance from the Slave Quarters, and all you saw of Shmi Skywalker was her form in the doorway, all long dress and braided hair, watching you leave, too far away to discern her expression.


	16. Run for the Royal Starship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to leave Tatooine!
> 
> In which you almost die by speeder and crash land directly into Obi-Wan's life.

You both followed Qui-Gon the way you had been heading yesterday, passing Jira and her fruit stand. She waved, and you both waved back, trotting after Qui-Gon. He walked at a brisk pace now, and you and Anakin nearly had to jog to keep up. You came to the end of the bazaar corridor, seeing the massive expanse of desert before you, looming like some ominous sand giant. You nearly ran into the back of Qui-Gon's legs as he stopped suddenly, looking around suspiciously.

 

“What is it?” You asked. You could tell something was very wrong, as if danger was imminent. Looking around, however, you saw nothing out of the ordinary.

 

“When I say to, run. Stay close to me,” he instructed, voice dropping. He closed his eyes, seeming to meditate. One heartbeat passed, then two. He opened them slowly. “Now!”

 

You and Anakin scarcely shared a look before you bolted, following as Qui-Gon did the same. The settlement of Mos Espa fell away as you sprinted from the street, and you suddenly  felt very exposed with nothing between your small self and the open desert around you. It seemed a little less real in the pod, more like a backdrop than an actual place, but now it felt as real as the bag bouncing against your back with each step.  Ahead of you, the sleek silver starship gleamed in the Tatooine sun, its ramp down and waiting.

 

“Qui-Gon, sir, wait,” Ani puffed beside you. You were both quickly running out of breath, but the feeling of impending doom in your stomach drove your legs forward relentlessly. “I'm getting tired!” 

 

Qui-Gon slowed to a jog and turned to reply. His eyes went wide, and fear hit you in the stomach, tempting you to look over your shoulder. You had never seen him look anything but calm, patient, and put together. “Anakin, (y/n), drop!”

 

Without thinking you grabbed Ani's arm, yanking him forward as you pitched yourself at the ground. The sand shoved the air out of your lungs on impact. You flinched down as a speeder raced over you, the bottom mere inches from the back of your head as its rider ran you down. You looked up to see the rider, decked head to toe in black and covered in a heavy cloak of the same shade, jump from the speeder. It skittered away, and the man fell through the air toward Qui-Gon. He ignited his lightsaber in a flash of glowing red light, and Qui-Gon narrowly parried his blow with his own flash of green. You scrambled to your feet and Anakin followed suit, watching as their lightsabers clashed in a whirl of light. 

 

Qui-Gon spared a glance at the pair of you. “Run!” He yelled, quickly turning his attention back to his attacker. “Tell them to take off!”

 

You and Ani raced forward, sprinting past the battle. Ani kept running, but you skidded to a stop, looking back. “What about you?” You yelled.

 

“Just go!” He was giving his attacker his full attention now. You hesitated, and he spared a second to flash you a look, a stern one that told you not to argue. You turned and ran, crossing the distance to the sleek ship in a blur of sand.

 

You hit the ramp, feeling your legs burn in protest as you took it without slowing. You raced through the cargo hold and into the lift, and when you had been deposited on the upper floor, you dropped your bag in what you assumed to be the living area, making a beeline for the cockpit. You burst in just in time to hear Anakin finish relaying Qui-Gon's message. Another man, dressed similarly to Qui-Gon, began giving orders to the pilot. The ship began to move and you stretched up on your toes, looking out the high angled windows to catch a glimpse of Qui-Gon. The swirling lines of lightsabers clashing in a sandy cloud of dust was all you could make out. The ship lurched under your feet as the engines engaged, allowing the landing gear to fold itself back into the ship bottom. 

 

“We aren't leaving without him?” You said sharply, turning to the man who had directed the pilots. It was half question, half statement.  

 

He looked at you, eyebrows raised, seeming just as surprised as you at your tone. “No,” he confirmed. “We're not.” He turned back to the pilot, who was watching him expectantly. “Fly low,” he instructed them, and beckoned to yourself and Anakin. 

 

His stride was not as long as Qui-Gon's, and you kept pace easily as you hurriedly followed behind, Anakin at your side. His brown cloak fluttered behind him. You followed Bathrobe Man through the ship the way you came, stepping around your discarded bag. Bathrobe Man broke into a run the moment the lift door opened, prompting you to do the same. You burst in to find Qui-Gon collapsed on the floor, R2 having rolled up to check him over. Bathrobe Man went to his side. You followed suit, falling to your knees beside Ani.

 

“Are you alright?” Ani asked. Qui-Gon nodded, panting. Sweat dripped down his sand-coated face as he fought to catch his breath.

 

“I think so,” he managed, and propped himself up into a sitting position. He looked over the three of you, eyes scanning for any injuries.

 

“What was it?” Bathrobe Man asked. You were wondering the same. From what you had glimpsed, it hadn't been human. The red face, lined with pitch black tattoos, had not exactly suggested so; and fighting a Jedi with a lightsaber? 

 

Qui-Gon shook his head, finally getting a grasp on his breathing. “I am not sure,” he admitted. “But he was well trained in the Jedi arts. I can only assume he was after the Queen.”

 

“Whatever he was, he's completely stupid.” Qui-Gon and Bathrobe Man looked to you simultaneously.

 

“What makes you say that?” Bathrobe Man deadpanned, looking you up and down.

 

“Well, he picked a fight with a Jedi,” Anakin deadpanned. 

 

You nodded your agreement. “And he was wearing all black. In this climate.” You crossed your arms. “I'm surprised he didn't pass out mid fight.” Qui-Gon had been soaked with sweat, and he was wearing light clothes that actually made sense for the sand oven of a planet. You couldn't imagine how sweltering the other man's outfit must have been.

 

“Perhaps he is from a climate hotter than this one, and was unaffected by the heat,” Bathrobe Man offered, seeming to genuinely consider your comment. R2 seemed satisfied in Qui-Gon’s condition, rolling away to mind his own business again.

 

“What are we going to do about it?” Ani picked at his sleeve, looking between Qui-Gon and Bathrobe Man.

 

“We will be patient,” Qui-Gon said, seeming to have finally regulated himself back to his normal, evenly calm state. He caught Bathrobe Man's bewildered glances at the pair of you and smiled.

 

“Anakin Skywalker, (y/n), meet Obi-Wan Kenobi.” 

 

“Hi,” Ani said, beaming up at Obi-Wan. He seemed to register that Obi-Wan was also dressed in a Jedi’s outfit. “You're a Jedi too! Pleased to meet you.”

 

“It's nice to meet you,” you agreed. You noted that Qui-Gon did not call you Skywalker, and quietly wondered if he knew that Shmi was not your mother. Obi-Wan seemed to have caught it too. You braced as the ship rocked, and you heard the engines fire full blast, taking you far away from Tatooine. Far away from home. “My last name is (l/n), or that's what Mama Shmi always said. You can call me Skywalker if you want, though.”

 

Obi-Wan smiled. “(L/n) suits you.” He helped Qui-Gon to his feet. “You should know, she was ready to bring this whole ship down, mutinous crew and all, if we tried to leave without you,” he laughed, flashing you a joking smile. You returned it, and it became sheepish as Qui-Gon looked down at you. He raised an eyebrow and his mouth twitched. 

 

“I have no doubt she would have accomplished so if she set her mind to it, and there had been any real danger of you doing so,” he chuckled. “Excuse me. I must speak to Queen Amidala.” Qui-Gon turned to yourself and Anakin. “Make yourselves comfortable. We will be on Coruscant soon enough. This ship is as much yours now as it is ours.”

 

Qui-Gon made his way through the ship to what you could only assume were the Queen's quarters, with Obi-Wan close behind. You and Ani followed at a slower pace, taking in the ship now that you weren't running through it at a desperate sprint. The inside was just as sleek as the exterior. The floor sloped up into smooth, curved walls that seamlessly transitioned into the ceiling. Sliding doors separated the various rooms and areas of the ship. You picked up your bag, a sandy, worn lump on the neatly polished floor, holding it close to your chest. You carefully set it down on a seat as Ani sat down, pulling his knees to his chest. 

 

“Are you okay?” You asked, and he nodded. You were sure he wasn't being entirely truthful, but you were also sure that he wasn't going to admit if he was not okay. You brushed off your dress, sending grains of sand scattering across the glossy floor. “If you need to talk, I’m here, okay?” He looked up, giving you a small smile as he curled himself into a ball. “Just call me if you want to talk about it.”

 

“Where are you going?”

 

You glanced around the room, and at the open doorways around you. “I’m gonna explore a little bit and get a feel for the ship.” 

 

“Okay.” The excitement he had before seemed to have completely gone out of him, but you knew him well enough to know that he didn't want to talk, and why. Leaving Shmi had cut you to the core, and she had always kept you as far at arm's length as she could bear, just in case.You couldn't imagine how painful it must have been for Anakin. You offered him a reassuring smile, reaching out and giving his hand a light squeeze as you passed.

 

“(Y/n)?”

 

You stopped in your tracks, looking back at his small form. “Yeah?”

 

“Thank you.”


	17. Flight to Coruscant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You learn some things about your new life, Obi-Wan is awkward but good with kids, and Anakin probably just wants to go home.

Hours passed. The ship's internal ambient lights had softened as the ship went into sleep mode, and the steady hum of the engines fell into background noise as you were carried off into the stars. You had been wandering the ship since you had been left to your own devices, while Anakin had curled up, trying to sleep on the seats with his bag for a pillow. You had seen nearly everything there was to see, having wandered through the cargo hold, the back areas, and badgered the pilots as you looked around the cockpit. You were trying to keep your mind off the vast, infinite expanse of emptiness that surrounded the ship. You knew where nearly everything was now, save for what the Queen's quarters looked like, as well as areas that you refrained from exploring for the sake of others’ privacy; though, you had peeked into some personnel only areas that you were nearly certain you weren’t supposed to be in. You wandered back into the doorway of the cockpit, watching the pilots manage the flight of the ship. You felt eyes on your back and turned to see Obi-Wan watching you from the hallway.

 

“You are restless,” he observed, watching you curiously. You slunk back into the hall to meet him.

 

“This is my first time in a starship that I remember,” you said. “I like to know where everything is. I have a good memory for places. I could draw you a perfect map of Mos Espa if you ever want one.”

 

Obi-Wan smiled. “Maybe someday. Why don't you sit down for a while? It is still a way to Coruscant.”

 

You shook your head. “Sitting and doing nothing is boring.” You looked up at him curiously. “Why do you have such a small braid?”

 

Obi-Wan blinked, taken aback, before he realized what you meant. “This?” he asked, holding his small rat-tail braid. “This means I am a Padawan, a Jedi apprentice. Qui-Gon is my Jedi Master. He is teaching me everything I need to know for my trials, so I can become a Jedi Knight.”

 

You tilted your head. “Qui-Gon says that Ani and I are supposed to train as Jedi. Will I have to cut my hair off?”

 

Obi-Wan laughed. “No, but you will need to keep it tied back, if the Council decides you may train. The braid you have now would be a good choice, and you'll get a padawan braid. Anakin will get a haircut like mine, though.”

 

You nodded, mulling it over in your mind. In truth, you were still trying to process everything. Over the course of two days and a night, you had gone from a slave on Tatooine to a free, potential Jedi-to-be on a starship to Coruscant. It was a lot to take in. You followed as Obi-Wan turned, heading for the main area. “Why wouldn't they let us train?”

 

“You are a little old to begin your training,” he said. “They might make an exception because you were born outside the Republic. It is not your fault that you were not found earlier.” He smiled down at you. “The Council is fair. I see no other reason they would deny you training, so long as you pass the test.” A door slid open  across the living area, and a handmaiden beckoned for Obi-Wan. He turned to you and offered a small bow. “Excuse me.”

 

You followed him out of the hallway, stopping at the mouth of it as you watched him disappear into the queen’s quarters. Padmé's voice made you turn as she quietly thanked Ani for the japor amulet he had made her.

 

“I care for you too,” he said, and you caught the faint glimmer of tears in his eyes. “Only I--” he hesitated, not meeting Padmé's gaze.

 

“Miss your mother,” she finished, and he nodded. She leaned in, wrapping him in a tight hug, which he returned. You approached, quiet as ever, and took up a seat beside him, careful not to sit on the over jacket that covered him. It was cold in the ship, but you had been too busy exploring to notice.

 

“I miss her too,” you said softly, and he unwrapped himself from Padmé. You smiled reassuringly. “I don't think she would want us to be sad. I think she would want us to be happy we get to do this, that we aren't going to be slaves our whole lives. She would want us to make her proud." You were saying it to yourself as much as Anakin, and you remembered what she said about letting go. "She wouldn't want us to keep thinking about how much we miss her. We have to believe we’ll see her again someday."

 

Ani wiped his eyes and nodded. "I know," he said quietly. You knew he saw the sadness hidden in your (e/c) eyes, despite the strong facade. 

 

"Things might get easier for you once we get to Coruscant," Padmé suggested. "There is much more to see and do than there is here. You can take your mind off of things then." 

 

"I hope so," Ani said softly, and you took his hand in your own. You hoped so too. You didn't let go of his hand as you leaned over, resting your head on his shoulder. It had been a long day, and you were certain that the suns back home were setting, if they hadn't been down for hours now. Padmé made herself comfortable too, settling herself close to the pair of you, and you allowed yourself to doze off.


	18. Arrival on Coruscant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you arrive on the planet that will be your new home...and meet someone who will be rather influential in your life.
> 
> To put it nicely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are now officially over halfway through the fic, if my calculations are correct! 
> 
> There will be a novella series posted between this fic and Attack of the Clones, both of which are still in progress. 
> 
> Happy reading!

Your trio headed to the cockpit at the sound of a tone, a notification that you were quickly approaching your destination. Ani plopped down into an empty seat in the cockpit, looking over all the controls with renewed interest. After your heart to heart, he had perked up some, and had regained some of his excitement. Padmé left, hurrying for the Queen's Chambers.

 

Your mouth dropped open in awe as Coruscant came into view of the windows. Massive, shining buildings of all shapes and sizes glinted in the sun, and stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. One of the pilots, who you had discovered was named Ric Olie, pointed to the endless cityscape as he helped guide the ship into the atmosphere, avoiding the thousands of other ships zipping by. 

 

"Coruscant," he said, gesturing around as the ship dropped between buildings. "The entire planet is one big city." You didn't doubt it. All you could do was stare, trying to take in the change in scenery. It was vastly different from the endless desert you were accustomed to,and much busier. The sky here was positively filled with vehicles and ships of all kinds. Ric Olie pointed at a landing platform on the side of the building. "There's Chancellor Valorum's shuttle. Look over there, Senator Palpatine is waiting for us." You followed his pointing finger as it moved, but all you could make out was a small group of people on the platform. You had no idea who was who, but you nodded anyway. 

 

A hand rested on your shoulder and you looked up, surprised to see that Qui-Gon had finally emerged from whatever meeting he had been in. "Anakin, (y/n), come. It is time to take our leave." 

 

You looked around for your bags as you followed Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan through the living area, but they were nowhere to be seen. Obi-Wan caught your movement. "Your things have been stowed with ours. As you will be with us, it is only practical to keep our things in one location." You felt better about that, knowing your things hadn't accidentally been packed off by mistake. Jar-Jar joined the four of you as you headed down the lift to the ramp.

 

The ship landed so smoothly, you could scarcely feel it touch down. With a whoosh, the side of the ship slid upward, and the ramp touched to the ground with a quiet thud. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon went first, closely followed by you and Ani, with Jar-Jar just behind. As you stepped off the ramp, the people waiting for your company came forward. A bird like man stared at you and Ani intently, hands folded beneath his blue formal robes. His bright eyes unnerved you as he stared, interestedly looking over yourself and Anakin as you approached. You drifted closer to Qui-Gon, the sleeve of his cloak brushing you with the proximity. The five of you stopped, and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed. You and Ani awkwardly followed suit, determined to learn what you were supposed to do, and you saw Jar-Jar bow as well. You let a quiet breath of relief escape your nose as the bird man stopped cataloging you, instead looking past you to where Queen Amidala was descending the ramp, followed by her handmaidens, guards, and pilots. This being the first time you saw her, you looked her up and down, wondering how she could possibly be comfortable under the pounds and layers of clothes, jewelry, and makeup she wore. Padmé followed beside her, flashing Anakin a quick smile. You stepped aside with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan as her company drifted past to stand before the waiting group. Despite wearing her weight in accessories, she managed to move with perfect grace and poise. 

 

The man who had been watching you stepped forward and bowed low. "It is a great gift to see you alive, Your Majesty. With the communications breakdown, we have become very concerned. I am anxious to hear your report on the situation." His voice was a bit nasal and reedy, but you decided it suited him. He gestured to the man beside him, a tall, hawkish man who looked stiff and rather uncomfortable with the formalities. "May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum."

 

You remembered what Ric Olie had said, and decided that the nasal man must be Senator Palpatine. They exchanged words, discussing how concerned they had been, and that a special session of the Senate had been called to hear the situation. You watched Palpatine warily. Something about him made you deeply uncomfortable, but you weren't certain if it was him exactly, or simply the nerves of being in a new place. Regardless, you didn’t like it, and inched closer to Qui-Gon again, the sleeve of his robe nearly resting on your head. Palpatine began to head towards a set of stairs, and Queen Amidala's group made to follow. Jar-Jar and Ani began to follow as well. 

 

"Why don't you go with them," Obi-Wan said, gesturing towards the departing group as he and Qui-Gon approached Valorum. 

 

You looked from them, then back to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, who was telling Valorum that he wished to speak with the Jedi Council. "But I want to go with you!"

 

"You can't, I'm sorry," Obi-Wan said. You felt a sinking feeling at the thought of having to be anywhere near Palpatine and his unsettling eyes. "You will be safe enough with Queen Amidala." 

 

You frowned, deciding to make one last ditch effort to follow them. You kept your tone light, hoping any resulting offense wouldn't undermine your goal. A small smile graced your face. "You're not a Jedi Knight yet, you can't tell me what to do." 

 

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise and gaped, too taken aback at your attitude to immediately respond. Qui-Gon turned around, having finished his conversation with Valorum. The older Jedi's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Maybe not, but I am. Go with Queen Amidala. We will come find you later." You hung your head in disappointment, beginning to follow, but you hesitated, looking back. Qui-Gon gave you a reassuring smile, and you kept walking. You kept looking back doubtfully until you reached the stairs, and you finally looked away, only because you did not want to fall down the stairs in front of the Jedi.

 

"Bold, and inquisitive," Qui-Gon said fondly, and Obi-Wan gave him a dirty look as they followed Valorum.

 

 The last handmaiden was climbing into the air taxi when you reached the bottom of the stairs, and the door stayed open just long enough for you to scramble inside. It slid shut behind you. You felt yourself internally cringe as you made your way to the last available seat, next to Senator Palpatine. He gave you a smile that you supposed was meant to be friendly, but his wide, alert eyes still made you uneasy. You hopped up beside him and looked around the cramped taxi to keep yourself from staring at him. Queen Amidala sat inside her pile of accessories at the head of the taxi, with a guard seated on either side. The handmaiden that fetched Obi-Wan sat beside one guard, and opposite her sat Padmé. Anakin sat next to her dutifully, seeming very small in the line of identically dressed handmaidens. You supposed you looked rather small beside Senator Palpatine and all the robes he wore as well.

 

Palpatine seemed to sense your discomfort, and offered you another would-be kind smile. "I am Senator Sheev Palpatine," he said, introducing himself. "What is your name?"

 

"(Y/n)," you said, still trying to discern what about him made you so uncomfortable. You decided it had to be his eyes, abnormally bright and glittering as he looked down his hooked nose at you. You considered his hairline as a potential factor, but decided it had nothing to do with it. "(Y/n) (l/n)."

 

His smile widened. "A very nice name," he mused. He held out a hand and you gingerly offered yours. He shook it. "I am sorry if I intimidate you. This must all be very new for someone as young as yourself." He offered you another smile. You offered one back, and supposed it wasn't nearly as friendly as you meant it to be. "For both of you young ones." He asked Ani his name and shook his hand as well. Queen Amidala surveyed your exchanges apathetically from where she sat, but Padmé gave you an encouraging smile. Jar-Jar, for once, was managing to sit in one place without chaos descending around him.

 

The knot in your stomach released as the air taxi pulled up to another building, all high glass windows and shining metal. You escaped the air taxi first and stood off to the side, keeping out of the way as Queen Amidala and her handmaidens glided out of the ship. Ani made his way to you from Padmé's side, along with Jar-Jar. Palpatine cast you all a friendly glance as he tailed after the Queen, and your trio followed them inside and down a hallway.  The Queen, her handmaidens, and Palpatine filed into an office and the glass door slid shut behind them.

 

"Now what?" You asked, watching the Queen settle herself on the couch while her handmaidens made a half-moon around her. Palpatine paced in front of her, talking, but you couldn't hear anything through the soundproof glass.

 

Ani pulled himself onto the couch in the area you had been left in, and Jar-Jar joined him, distracted by the vastness of the industrial scene outside. "I guess we wait here." 

 

You sighed, wandering away from the glass as you began to pace. You wondered where Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had gone, and why neither had wanted you to come along. Anakin seemed to sense your discomfort. "What's wrong?" He asked, following you with his eyes as you passed back and forth in front of him. You weren't walking in a straight line; rather, you were walking around the room in a vague circle, looking at the sparse decorations in an attempt to quell your nerves.

 

"What if we don't pass the test or something," you said, fidgeting with your sleeves. 'Or something' encapsulated Obi-Wan's mention that you were a little too old to start training. You didn't want to worry Anakin more than he already was. "We're going to end up back home. I mean I want to see Mama Shmi, I miss her, but the Jedi won't let us just hang around. We'll end up working for Watto again, or worse." A look at Ani told you he was thinking the same thing.

 

"We'll pass it," he said, trying to assure you. Your feet kept carrying you around the room, nerves and anxiety pushing restless energy through you. "Qui-Gon said we would be trained as Jedi. If he thinks so, I'm sure the other Jedi will too."

 

Your lips twitched, but you weren't reassured. "I hope so." You cast a glance at the other room and stopped short when you saw Palpatine staring back from the corner of his eye. Queen Amidala was talking, but he had been watching you pace, seemingly interested in your behavior. You offered him a small smile. "Let's go find something to do," you suggested, and Anakin nodded, jumping up and taking Jar-Jar's hands. Jar-Jar jumped,  startled as he was pulled away from observing the city.


	19. The Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More adventures on Coruscant, and your Force Sensitivity test before the council.
> 
> Will you indeed be trained as Jedi?

The three of you spent what felt like hours exploring the building. You had made sure to pass the room you had started out in often, to make sure nobody had left without you, but the meeting continued. Nobody paid you any mind when it did end either. Senator Palpatine headed off to another area of the building hurriedly, and Queen Amidala wandered off to her Senate chambers. The sun slowly sank, and you began to wonder if Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would be coming back for either of you tonight. 

 

"I'm gonna go say bye to Padmé, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan should be back soon," Anakin said, turning away from the window you had been looking out of. 

 

You nodded, still scanning the skyline. "Okay. Tell her bye for me, too. She really is nice." You felt him go, rather than saw him, but after he was gone, you suddenly felt the cold realization that you were alone. 

 

Looking over the buildings of Coruscant, you felt like you were floating in space, far away and disconnected from everything you knew, more so than when you were in the ship. You would have liked to have been home at that moment, back in the tiny, safe space of your room, but that was far behind you now. You let out a long breath and straightened, swallowing the lump of held back tears in your throat. _"Don't look back,"_ Shmi had said. You were still trying your best not to.

 

Anakin came around the corner, and you willed your face into the neutral, if positive demeanor you had been trying to keep since you left Tatooine. "Queen Amidala and Senator Palpatine are going to drop us off with the Jedi. I guess they have a meeting they have to go to," he said, seeming more positive than he had before.

 

"Did you get to say goodbye?" You asked. His face fell at that.

 

"No. I guess she went on an errand. The Queen said she'd pass on the message." He fidgeted for a minute. You looked past him as the Senator and a heavily made-up Queen Amidala came around the corner, followed by her flock of attendings. Padmé was nowhere in sight, but you followed them out to where the air taxi was still waiting.

 

Another taxi ride later, and you were standing on the landing platform of the Jedi temple. As the taxi sped away, you looked up, and saw Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan on a balcony. Their conversation seemed serious. You lost sight of them as a guard led you inside. The thought of the Jedi having guards amused you, given they were supposed to have unmatched fighting skill, but you supposed they did benefit from having backup. 

 

"Wait here. Master Qui-Gon will be here shortly." The guard walked down the hallway, leaving yourself and Anakin standing in the golden glow of the sunset coming in the high temple windows. You and Anakin shared a glance, listening to the quiet noises of the Jedi temple. It didn't take long for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to come down the hallway, brown robes fluttering in their wake. Qui-Gon greeted you both with a smile, but Obi-Wan's face was set in a doubtful look.

 

"Are you prepared?" He asked, and you nodded in unison. What you were supposed to be prepared for, or how you were supposed to have prepared for it, you didn’t know. Going with the flow seemed like the best option. "Very good. Follow me." You did so, trailing just behind Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. You wondered what had passed between them, but whatever it was, it had evidently been settled. They led you into a lift, and you kept your breath even as it rocketed upwards. 

 

The lift stopped at a set of double doors. They slid apart to reveal a large circular room, bathed in a reddish hue in the light of the setting sun. A planet only having one sun seemed strange to you. It felt like something was missing from the sky, but you put it out of your mind. There were more important things going on. High arched windows seemed to frame the twelve Jedi that sat in a circle around the room. They turned to look at you as Qui-Gon led you inside. You felt exposed in the large room, and it was hard to tell what their impression was of you. Some looked curious, while others looked downright displeased. Qui-Gon stopped in the middle, Obi-Wan behind him, and you and Anakin stood on either side of the elder Padawan. You looked around you for any Jedi you recognized. You caught sight of Mace Windu, who was considering you with a serious expression, mouth set in a hard line. You smiled and gave a small wave, but your face fell when his expression became more stern. You had heard about him from some of the pilots that stopped at Watto's shop; the champion of the Jedi council, bearer of a violet lightsaber. It would be a lie to say you didn’t admire him.

 

"Master Yoda," Qui-Gon said, giving a slight bow. "I present before you Anakin Skywalker, and (y/n) (l/n) for testing." 

 

The small green alien nodded and gave a thoughtful hum. "Begin the test immediately, we will."

 

Obi-Wan put a hand on your and Anakin's shoulders. "May the Force be with you," he said quietly. "Don't say anything you wouldn't say to Qui-Gon." He then turned and followed Qui-Gon out the door. 

 

"Anakin," Master Windu said, catching his attention. "I will administer your test. (Y/n), stand with your back to his. Master Yarael Poof will administer yours." You nodded and did as you were told. You weren't sure which one was Yarael, but you assumed that the long necked Jedi holding a tablet similar to Master Windu's was him. Your suspicions were confirmed when he held up the viewing screen, waiting for instruction.

 

"During this test, images will flash on the screens. You will not be able to see them with your eyes. You must tell us what the images depict. Am I clear?" Mace Windu's voice echoed ominously. You nodded, and felt Anakin do the same. You tuned yourself to your gut sense, ready to go with your instinct. The tablet was activated, and by your and Anakin's responses, the rapid change of picture was staggered between the tablets to alternate your answers. You said what came to mind first, forcing away the sense that every single Jedi in the room was staring you down, their eyes boring into your skin. Master Yarael finally set down the tablet, and you assumed Master Windu had done the same. You swallowed hard as the Jedi's large, red eyes stared at you unblinkingly from his small head, not breaking focus as his long neck casually swayed.

 

"You can turn around now," Master Windu said, and you did so. You weren't sure what was worse; the scrutinizing stare from Yarael's strange eyes, or the hard stare that Master Windu gave you as he nodded to Yoda. You stood there, worried that you failed your test, but you couldn't discern anything from their expressions. The anxiety burning in your stomach was just as bad either way.

 

"Hmmmmm," Yoda hummed, considering the pair of you. "How feel you?"

 

You were taken aback. The first thing you were expecting to hear after your test was not being asked how you felt. Anakin answered before you could. "Cold, sir."

 

Yoda tilted his head. You weren't sure what to make of him. "Afraid, are you?"

 

You straightened your back, trying to shove down the nerves that were thrashing in your stomach. "No sir."

 

He narrowed his eyes. "See through you, we can." That did nothing to soothe your nerves.

 

Master Windu seemed to sense that. "Be mindful of your feelings," he warned, sounding relatively reassuring for the first time since the meeting began.

 

Another Master spoke up, leaning forward. You wondered where he was from, doing your best not to stare at his elongated head. "Your thoughts dwell on your mother," he said. He was looking more at Anakin than you. 

 

"I miss her," he admitted. You gave a small nod. There was no use in trying to insist that you didn't miss Shmi at all. It felt wrong not to miss her.

 

"Afraid to lose her, I think," Yoda considered, punctuating his thoughts with another almost-questioning hum. Somehow, the little green Jedi managed to make his words sound accusatory.

 

Anakin stiffened beside you, giving off every sign that he took it personally. You couldn't help but feel the same. It seemed strange that they were picking on this, picking on you, when they were supposed to be checking your connection to the force. "What has that got to do with anything?" He asked. 

 

"Everything!" You took a step back as Yoda lunged forward in his seat, seeming incredulous. "Fear is the path to the dark side," he warned. "Fear, leads to anger. Anger, leads to hate. Hate, leads to suffering." He sat back. "I sense much fear in you both."

 

You stepped forward again, finding newfound determination to justify yourself. Anakin opened his mouth as if to remind you what Obi-Wan had said, but shut it again as you spoke. "We were slave children all our lives," you began. "Over the course of two days, we participated in a pod race against a Dug who had a death wish for us, were freed, chased down by some murder happy man who had no idea how to dress for a desert climate and tried to kill Master Qui-Gon, put on a starship, and brought here." You fought to keep your voice even, refusing to let any of what you were feeling bleed into your tone. That didn’t stop you from sounding positively indignant at their accusations."With all due respect, we have good reason to be scared. Our lives have just been upturned like a Bantha that tripped on top of a dune. I would worry if we didn't feel scared about everything that has happened to us. All we can do is learn how to acknowledge it and put it aside." You bowed to him, the way you had seen Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bow, and stepped back. 

 

Yoda nodded, seeming to consider you more than he had previously. You swallowed hard, hoping you hadn't just said the wrong thing. Master Windu interjected, pushing a button on the arm of his seat. "Send for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. The test is finished." Any hint of reassurance you thought you had heard was gone. 

 

You stood close to Anakin, unsure of where to look as you waited for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to show up. You bowed your head, studying the design on the floor. It seemed better than staring down Yoda or Master Windu, especially after your small speech. You tried to consult your heart, your instincts, to see what would happen, but all you could feel was a rising dread that you had dashed any chance of becoming a Jedi.

 

The doors opened behind you, and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan strode through. You resisted the urge to run to them. Obi-Wan caught the look on your face, and concern immediately cut across his forehead. Qui-Gon, on the other hand, seemed cool and confident, as if your fate as a Jedi were set in stone, and he was just waiting for the official confirmation. You stepped closer to the pair of older Jedi, glad that at least someone in the room seemed to be on your side now. 

 

"The Force is strong with them," the high-headed Jedi said. 

 

Qui-Gon nodded, smiling faintly as if his suspicions had been confirmed. "They are to be trained, then." 

 

Master Windu straightened. "No. They will not be trained." You felt your heart plummet to the pit of your stomach. You were sure you looked visibly wounded as you stared at him. You had always looked up to the Master Windu you heard about in stories, not this one, seemingly prejudiced and stubborn. "They are too old." 

 

You looked up at Obi-Wan, and shared a glance. He had warned you that this might happen, but after what Yoda had said, it seemed like an easy excuse. Obi-Wan seemed to sense as much, and thought the same. Qui-Gon shook his head at Master Windu. "They are the Chosen Ones. You must see it."

 

Yoda closed his eyes, seemingly meditating, as if he were humoring Qui-Gon. "Clouded, their futures are," he murmured.

 

Qui-Gon seemed to be losing his cultivated patience. "I will train them, then," he said, and the Council gasped collectively. Even Obi-Wan moved, shock lining his face. "I take Anakin and (y/n) as my Padawan learners."

 

Yoda nearly scoffed. "An apprentice you have, Qui-Gon. Impossible, to take on a second, or third."

 

Master Windu nodded. "The code forbids it. Perhaps we could bend it for only one more, but three Padawans would not stand."

 

Qui-Gon blinked. "Obi-Wan is ready."

 

You felt Obi-Wan tense, and something passed between Padawan and Master in that moment. Whatever it was, you were certain it wasn’t good.  "I am ready to face the trials," he agreed, but something in his tone told you he was only trying to prevent an argument before the Council.

 

Yoda tensed, clearly growing frustrated with Qui-Gon's obstinance. "Our own council we will keep on who is ready."

 

Qui-Gon seemed, for all the world, calm. You began to wonder if his stubbornness was regular conversation to the Council at this point. "He is headstrong, and he has much to learn of the Living Force, but he is capable. There is little more he can learn from me."

 

Yoda sat back into the chair. "Young Skywalker and young (l/n)'s fates will be decided later."

 

Master Windu nodded, leaning forward. His face was set in a stern expression. "Now is not the time for this. The Senate is voting in a new Supreme Chancellor. Queen Amidala has decided to return home, which will pressure the Federation, and may widen the confrontation."

 

"This may draw out her attacker," the high headed Jedi added.

 

Master Windu nodded. "Go with the Queen to Naboo, and discover the identity of the dark warrior. That is the clue we need to unravel this mystery of the Sith." You were lost now, and had no idea what was being said. You paid attention, in any case.

 

Yoda spoke up again, looking tired. "May the Force be with you."

 

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed. You and Ani followed suit. You were disheartened, but you hoped that Yoda's words held hope for you. Their eyes never left you and Anakin as you followed the Jedi out of the room.

 

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon sat in tense silence as the air taxi brought you back to the building where Queen Amidala's ship sat. Ani wove his fingers into yours and you gave his hand a squeeze. The adults of your group were exchanging silent, tense looks. You guessed they were sparing arguing directly in front of you. You and Ani shared a glance of your own, a scared one that wondered what would happen now. The taxi glided up to the platform, letting your group off, and Qui-Gon waved the pair of you toward the ship. For once you didn't argue, following Ani to where R2 was whistling and beeping. The evening winds had picked up, and tugged at your skirt relentlessly.

 

 You watched as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan spoke, keeping their voices low. Obi-Wan's voice rose as he followed Qui-Gon, still talking. "The children are dangerous, they all sense it. Why can't you?"

 

The words hit you like a physical blow. Dangerous? You didn't want to hurt anyone on purpose. Well, maybe whoever had attacked Qui-Gon on Tatooine, and right about now you wouldn't mind giving Obi-Wan a good kick in the shins for his lack of faith that you and Ani could be anything but a danger. 

 

Qui-Gon kept his composure better than you could have. "Their fates are uncertain. They are not dangerous. The Council will decide their future. That should be enough for you." He gave Obi-Wan a stern look. "Now get on board."

 

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, but he turned on his heel and stalked to the ship. You shared a look with Anakin, and he looked just as hurt. Qui-Gon seemed to see your expressions too, making his way over to where you stood. Ani piped up. "Master Qui-Gon, sir? We don't want to be a problem." You nodded your agreement.

 

"You won't be," he assured you, kneeling down to look at you both. "I may not be allowed to train you, but I can keep you with me until they have decided your fate. I want you to watch me, and be mindful." He looked each of you in the eyes. "Always remember. Your focus determines your reality." You nodded in understanding. Qui-Gon smiled. "Stay close to me, and you will be safe."

 

"Master, sir, I heard Yoda talking about midi-chlorians," Ani said. "I've been wondering, what are midi-chlorians?"

 

You listened to Qui-Gon explain midi-chlorians to Anakin, paying attention to his words, but your mind was on what Obi-Wan had said. Your thoughts were interrupted as Queen Amidala and her crew exited two taxis, heading for the ship. She looked drawn and resigned.

 

"Your Majesty," Qui-Gon said, offering her another bow. "It is our pleasure to continue to serve and protect you."

 

She nodded, seeming cold in her demeanor. "I welcome your help. Senator Palpatine fears the Federation means to destroy me."

 

"I assure you, I will not let that happen." Qui-Gon was sincere, and the Queen seemed to appreciate it. You thought you saw some of her frost melt as she headed for the ship, followed by her handmaidens and pilots.

 

 Jar-Jar rushed forward, hugging Qui-Gon, then Ani, and yourself.  "Wees'a goin' home!"

You followed as he ran up the ramp, and Ani took your hand again. R2 followed you as you walked up the ramp together. It closed behind the droid, and the ship gave a small lurch as it took off. 

 

"I think I'm gonna go sit up front with Captain Panaka and Ric Olie," Ani said, slowly letting go. "You coming?"

 

You thought about it for a minute, but something told you otherwise. You went with it, even though the logical side of you said to leave it alone. "I've got something to do first, but yeah. I'll be up soon." He nodded, looking at you curiously, and headed up towards the cockpit.


	20. Return to Naboo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get to experience an actual living planet for the very first time.

You let your feet guide you through the ship. You quickly found who you were looking for, sitting on a cushioned bench as he watched Qui-Gon and Queen Amidala form a battle plan. His jaw tightened as you sat down beside him.

 

"You're upset," you said softly, not looking at him. "I can tell."

 

Obi-Wan didn't look at you, either. He kept staring straight ahead. "I am fine."

 

You looked at him from the corner of your eye. "Don't lie to me." He looked at you this time, and you turned to fully meet his gaze. "Talk to me. Why are you upset?"

 

He seemed stunned by your bluntness, then sighed. "Master Qui-Gon thinks I am ready for the Trials," he said quietly. You saw him glance up, seeing if Qui-Gon was listening before he continued. "I don't feel like I am."

 

"Why not?" You looked up at him with your wide, clear eyes. He glanced down, seeming a bit amused. 

 

"I still have questions." He paused, but continued. "I understand that he wishes to train yourself and Anakin, but I do not feel ready for my trials."

 

You offered him a small smile. "There is time before the Council decides what to do with Ani and I. He's your Master, and even though he wants to train us, he wouldn't let you fail your trials."

 

 "Perhaps I will speak to him." His shoulders seemed to relax. "Thank you." He turned back to Qui-Gon's conversation, and you could almost feel the tension between you lessen. Anakin wandered in, seemingly having gotten bored by the pilots and cockpit. Qui-Gon and the Queen were finishing making their plans. You smiled at him over the table everyone was gathered around.

 

"Jar-Jar," she said, and the Gungan looked at her, shocked.

 

"Mees'a?" He asked, putting a hand on his chest in shock. 

 

"Yes. I need your help." You and Obi-Wan shared a look, and it was apparent that you were both remembering his tendency for mass accidental destruction. "You mentioned before that Gungans have a grand army. Can you get your leader to help us fight?"

 

Jar-Jar gave a dramatic shrug. "Mees'a don't know."

 

She sighed. "You said Gungans don't die without a fight." Jar-Jar looked down, seeming to remember their conversation as well. "The Federation is ready to destroy all in its path. My people are dying. Yours will too if we stand by and do nothing."

 

Jar-Jar nodded, looking uncertain. "Mesathinks dis will end bad, but we'sa Gungans are warriors. We'sa fight if we'sa need. Mees'a try to help."

 

The Queen gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Jar-Jar. All we can do is try."

 

The meeting broke up, and you left Obi-Wan's side, rounding the table to meet Anakin. "Do you think we're actually going to see a real battle?"

 

Anakin shrugged. "Maybe. I kind of hope so. I don't want to just be stuck here, doing nothing and waiting."  

 

Captain Panaka came up to you both. As you looked to him, you caught sight of Obi-Wan having a hushed discussion with Qui-Gon, and you smiled. "Do you kids want to come up front? We'll be approaching Naboo soon."

 

You both nodded in earnest and followed him to the cockpit. He sat beside Ric Olie as the ship drifted closer to the planet. You squinted, straining to make out any details.

"I have one battleship in my scope," Olie announced. You could see it, a single drifting ship caught in Naboo's orbit. 

"It's a droid control ship." You turned in surprise. You hadn't heard Obi-Wan come in, but he stood over you now, scrutinizing the scene before the ship. 

"They've probably spotted us," Panaka said. You could hear the dread in his voice.

"We haven't much time," Obi-Wan agreed. You watched the orbiting ship pass as the ship flew towards Naboo, and you were shocked that it made no move to attack. You didn't have time to dwell on it as the ship dove into Naboo's atmosphere.

You gasped audibly as the ship rocketed down to the planet. "It's all so green," you breathed. Massive plains of grass stretched wide across the planet's surface, flying past beneath the ship. Deep, tall forests lined the swathes of grass, lush and vibrant. The ship glided into the trees, slowing as it prepared to land. Through the glass, you could see an expanse of water dotted with trees and plants. You had never seen that much water in one place.

"What is it?" You asked quietly. Your eyes were wide, bright and clear with wonder.

"It's a swamp," Obi-Wan said matter-of-factly.

"It's beautiful." You couldn't take your eyes off the trees and the water. Coruscant, featureful as it was, had been all metal and glass, the epitome of industry. Anakin was staring at the forest before you too, mouth agape.

Obi-Wan looked down at you, seeming to realize why you were both so enamored. "Would you like to go see it up close? I am sure Qui-Gon would not mind. If you are to learn, you should go where we do." Captain Panaka passed you, walking to where Queen Amidala, her guards, and her handmaidens stood. You nodded at Obi-Wan, and he beckoned for yourself and Anakin to follow.

The air was thick as you exited and smelled rich with water, soil and plants. The Queen and her group came down the ramp after you, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. You scanned the handmaidens' faces, and you saw Padmé, trailing just to her right. Anakin must have done the same, because he offered her a small wave. Qui-Gon strolled away from the main buzz of activity, looking pensive, as if he were looking for somewhere to meditate. You watched as Jar-Jar strode off towards the water, giving a small wave before diving right in. 

"I must speak to Master Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said, looking down at yourself and Anakin. "Feel free to look around, but don't wander too far. And stay out of trouble." You and Anakin gave him wide grins. He gave a short nod and followed in the direction Qui-Gon had gone. 

You sat down on a large rock, kicking off your shoes, and immediately dunked your feet into the water. It was different than the water on Tatooine. This water seemed to have more substance than the scrounged atmospheric scraps produced by the moisture farms. Like it was more alive. Anakin plunged his feet in after yours, and you both grinned. Compared to the climate you had been raised in, this was paradise. 

"How's the feeling?" Anakin  asked, and you furrowed your brows at him.

"The feeling?"

"Yeah. The one you were talking about back home, when we were cleaning the fan switches." You remembered then, and consulted it. 

"Worse," you admitted. "It feels like whatever is gonna happen is going to happen soon. I think this battle is leading up to something important."

Anakin splashed water at your legs with his feet. "You think the Council is gonna send us home?"

You splashed him back. It seemed so strange not to worry about wasting water. "I don't know. I can't tell." You looked to where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were talking. Whatever had been said, Obi-Wan looked visibly relieved. You smiled. "I don't think Qui-Gon will let it go. He'll make sure we get trained, somehow."

"I hope you're right." You looked at each other, knowing you were thinking the same thing; the inevitable return to slavery if you went back.

The water exploded in front of you and you yelped. Anakin reached out, grabbing your arm just in time to keep you from falling off the rock, despite sliding down the other side himself. Jar-Jar scrambled out of the water, righting himself, and marched up to the Jedi. Captain Panaka moved to join them.

"Dare-sa nobody dare. Da Gungan city is diserted. Some kinda fight, mesathinks." He looked between them, water dripping off him.

"Do you think they have been taken to camps?" Obi-Wan asked. You and Ani hurriedly put your shoes on, feet still damp and coated with forest debris, and made your way over. 

Panaka gave them a cynical look. "More likely they were wiped out."

"Mesa no tink so." Jar-Jar shook his head, flinging water droplets off his ears.

"Do you know where they are, Jar-Jar?" Qui-Gon asked, folding his hands. 

The Gungan thought for a minute. "When in trouble, Gungans go to sacred place. Mees'a show you! Come on, mees'a show you!" He practically ran off into the undergrowth, beckoning after them. Obi-Wan flashed you a small smile and nod before turning and following Qui-Gon. The Queen, still buried under an entire wardrobe of clothes and a full face of makeup, looked entirely out of place as she followed after the Jedi. You and Anakin trotted after them, quickly making your way through her company to catch up to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. 

 

 


	21. Gungan Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alliance with Gungans. Considering Jar-Jar, you wonder how good of an idea this is.
> 
> Also, very shocking news that leaves you and Anakin speechless.

Jar-Jar led the way through the swamp, weaving among trees and undergrowth. He stopped, sniffed the air, and kept going, leading the large group into a clearing. Trees soared wide overhead, casting dappled light down on the spongy earth below. You stuck close to Qui-Gon, and followed him and Obi-Wan out of the way. You glanced back at Anakin, who hesitated for a moment. He was watching Padmé as the Queen walked into the clearing, head held high, but he turned and followed you before Qui-Gon could call to him. A movement caught your eye and your head snapped to it, every inch of you braced for an attack. You relaxed, letting your guard lessen when you saw that Gungan refugees had begun to emerge from the trees, looking scared and suspicious. Most of them resembled Jar-Jar, tall and gawky with water-climate skin, floppy ears, and a bendy neck. You were right; they most definitely were not suited to a desert planet. Looking around, your gaze followed the half circle they made up to the ruins of an ancient temple, the rock cracked and covered with vines and moss. You realized with a shudder that they were giant stone heads, half submerged in the boggy water. A few more individuals moseyed up the stone, overlooking their visitors. They were shorter and more toadish than their other Gungan counterparts, and were decked in fancier clothing. You guessed they were whatever ruling authority that Gungans went by. The one in the middle peered down at the group of you, smirking with an oddly smug look. 

 

A Gungan who looked to be of importance stepped forward. "Your Honor, Queen Amidala of the Naboo." You decided that his dangling whiskers reminded you some of Sebulba's. 

 

Jar-Jar stepped forward, fiddling with his hands. He gave a sheepish, uncertain smile. "Ah, eh, ello dare, ye big Boss Nass, You Honor," he offered. You felt for him. You had learned the discomfort of having judging eyes on you from all angles too well.

 

"Jar-Jar Binks," Boss Nass thundered. You weren't sure if he was happy to see him, or angry. "Who's da uss-en others?" You didn't blame Jar-Jar for his hesitation. This Boss Nass seemed intimidating at the best of times.

 

The Queen stepped forward, looking uncertain. "I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo. I come before you in peace."

 

"Ah, Naboo biggen. Yous'a bringen da Mackineeks. Yous'a all bombad." You had no idea half of what Boss Nass said, and a shared look with Anakin told you you weren't alone. The Gungans lowered long poles that you supposed were weapons, and you shot a nervous glance at Qui-Gon. He seemed wholly unperturbed, watching them calmly. You took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was when he wasn't calm that you had to worry.

 

"We have searched you out because we wish to form an alliance," the Queen said, but she trailed off as Padmé stepped forward. 

 

Boss Nass looked down at her curiously. "Whos'a dis?"

 

"I am Queen Amidala," she said simply. Your jaw dropped, and so did Anakin's. You both looked at Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan looked at him too, but he, for all the galaxy, looked like he had lost a bet on how long it would take her to reveal her identity. Qui-Gon merely smiled, as if he had known all along. Padmé continued. "This is my decoy," she said, pointing at the severely done up handmaiden. "My protection. My loyal bodyguard."

 

The girl who was dressed as the Queen stepped back, looking relieved to not need to speak for Padmé any longer. Padmé herself continued. "I am sorry for my deception, but it was necessary to protect myself. Although we do not always agree, Your Honor, our two great societies have always lived in peace  The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever.I ask you to help us." Padmé dropped to her knees, and a collective gasp ran through her handmaidens and guards. "No, I beg you to help us. We are your humble servants. Our fate is in your hands."

 

Gradually, her company followed her lead, the girl dressed as Queen with some difficulty. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan knelt too, as did you and Anakin. Boss Nass seemed pleased. His big, froggy mouth widened in a smile. "Yous'a no tinken yous'a greater den da Gungans. Mees'a like dis." He surveyed the kneeling humans before him, nodding. "Maybe wees'a bein friends." He suddenly shook his head and spit flew audibly. You resisted the urge to wrinkle your nose, and instead opted for smiling back as everyone cheered over the alliance victory.

   
  


The Gungans had brought your group to the edge of one of the large meadows. You watched, fascinated, as the Gungan army emerged from the swamp. Being used to Jar-Jar's clumsy tendencies, you were impressed by how put together the rest of his people were. Some rode two legged creatures, the saddles decorated with tall feathers--or leaves, you really couldn't tell. Massive lizard-like creatures ambled along among the troops with large mechanisms strapped to their backs. You shyly bothered the Gungan who had introduced the Queen as they organized a battle plan station, and found out that the bipedal riding mounts were called  _ Kaadu _ , and the large beasts called  _ Fambaas _ . You quickly caught back up to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, who had gathered with Padmé and Captain Panaka. Boss Nass joined you, too, after saying something to Jar-Jar that made him pass out. A few Gungan generals closed in to hear the battle plan as well.

 

You saw Anakin sprinting towards you across the field from a Gungan lookout. "They're here," he said, skidding to a stop.

 

"Good, they made it." Padmé turned to Panaka. "What is the situation?"  She asked. She had lost the demure handmaiden facade, and gave off a fierce confidence. She looked ready to charge into battle. Now, you finally understood your intuition; she could indeed become serious at a moment’s notice, and for good reason.

 

"Almost everyone is in camps," Panaka said. "A few hundred police and guards have formed an underground resistance movement. I brought back as many of the leaders as I could." He sighed, but pushed forward. "The Federation Army is also much larger than we thought, and much stronger." You saw the doubt in his eyes. "Your Highness, this is a battle I do not think we can win."

 

Padmé seemed unfazed, but you caught the faint glimmer of rage in her eyes at the treatment of her people. "The battle is a diversion. The Gungans must draw the Droid Army away from the cities." She turned to R2, who had rolled up, beeping and whistling. You wondered how he didn't get the spongy, muddy swamp soil clogged in his wheels. R2 turned on his projector, showing a 3D map of the city. You looked at it, fascinated. "R2, we can enter the city using the secret passages on the waterfall side." Lines appeared where the secret passages she described ran. "Once we get to the main entrance, Captain Panaka will create a diversion. Then we will enter the palace and capture the Viceroy. Without the Viceroy, they will be lost and confused." Padmé looked to Qui-Gon. "What do you think, Master Jedi?"

 

You looked up to him as well. It sounded like a good plan, in your opinion. Simple and easy for people as skilled as them to pull off. "The Viceroy will be well guarded," he pointed out.

 

Captain Panaka nodded. "The difficulty is getting into the throne room. Once we're inside, we shouldn't have a problem."

 

Qui-Gon looked to Boss Nass and the Gungan generals who were standing by. "There is a possibility that with this diversion many Gungans will be killed." You looked at the generals worriedly. 

 

"Wees'a ready to do are-sa part," he said determinedly. The generals nodded in agreement.

 

Padmé continued, turning back to Qui-Gon. "We have a plan that should immobilize the Droid Army. We will send the pilots we have to destroy the orbiting droid control ship."

 

The Jedi nodded, seeming to approve. "A well-concieved plan," he said. "However, there is great risk. The weapons on your fighters might not penetrate the shields."

 

Obi-Wan interjected. "There's an even bigger danger as well. If the Viceroy escapes, Your Highness, he will return with another droid army."

 

Padmé leveled a determined look at him. "That is why we must not fail to get the Viceroy. Everything depends on it." 

  
The Gungans mounted their  _ Kaadu _ and rode to the summoned army, shouting directions. Jar-Jar had since been scooped up and resuscitated, and was now perched atop a  _ Kaadu _ , doing his best to follow the generals. You suddenly realized that he was supposed to be one of them, and you cringed a little, hoping he wouldn't accidentally cause chaos at the wrong time. Destruction followed that Gungan like fur on a Bantha. A warrior blew into a hornlike instrument in a sort of battle signal, moving the troops out in the green. A chill ran through you, realizing the battle had truly begun.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for particularly small chapters like this one! I am trying to split up the complete document by scene and location!


	22. Battle of Naboo: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chaos of battle descends. You're probably having a few second thoughts about this whole Jedi thing. Anakin is a nervous wreck. Qui-Gon is aware of the fact that he is dealing with no less than 3 young padawan learners.
> 
> At least Obi-Wan can handle himself, right?
> 
> First installment of another life-changing event.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter has been fixed, additionally polished, and I combined the next two chapters as an apology.  
> Happy reading!

You followed as R2 led everyone down the secret passages at a brisk run, just fast enough to get you there quickly, but not so fast that the noise you inevitably made would be obvious. When the tunnels fell away from the sun's reach, you caught Anakin's hand, running together for support until R2 flicked on his light. It illuminated the tunnels just enough that your fighting group could see where they were going. R2 gave a soft beep and rolled up a set of stairs, then swiveled his head to look at the humans behind him, waiting for someone to open it.

 

 Qui-Gon did so, blinding you with a sudden burst of sunlight, but you all filed out into the streets stealthily. You were led to the end of another street that opened into a courtyard, and everyone stood glued to the wall. Anakin seemed to realize that you were still holding hands and gently let go, now that you could both see clearly. Padmé pulled a device from her pocket, pointed it across the courtyard, and pressed the button twice. You saw two laser flashes answer from across the courtyard, and glimpsed Captain Panaka's face in the shadows of the decorative plants. 

 

Qui-Gon turned to the pair of you, face stern. "Once we get inside, you find a safe place to hide and stay there."

 

"Sure," Anakin said, but even you could hear his lack of intent to listen. 

 

Qui-Gon pointed a stern finger at him. "Stay there!" He warned. You nodded as well, and for some reason, he didn't seem as concerned about you not listening.

 

Gunfire erupted at the other end of the plaza. The guard droids that had been milling about ran, and you heard Panaka and his group yelling. You didn't have time to wonder if they were alright before Padmé gestured, and your group broke into a flat out run. You and Anakin stuck close to Qui-Gon, sprinting after him towards the Royal Hangar. You rushed inside, and nearly turned tail to run back out when the battle droids fixed their sights on your group. The sounds of the battle raging outside took away that temptation instantly.

 

"Ani, (y/n), find cover, quick!" Qui-Gon yelled. He didn't have to tell you twice. Anakin grabbed your arm and yanked you out of the way as a blaster bolt flew towards you, exploding where you had been standing only a moment before. You both dashed for cover, narrowly missing another bolt, and ducked behind a fighter. The bolt exploded with a rumble. You poked your head out, watching the fight. Battle droids collapsed as Padmé and her group shot them to the ground.

 

"Get to your ships!" Padmé yelled, and you saw the pilots break from the group, running towards the fighters. You pulled Anakin after you as they jumped into their ships, followed by red painted R2 units, dragging him behind a pillar. The ships' engines whirred on and their shields activated, and they began to levitate out. The droids fired at them, but their bolts glanced off the shields. 

 

You heard a familiar whistling and beeping, and looked up to see R2-D2 having gotten pulled up into the last fighter, only a matter of feet away from your hiding place. There was no pilot. You watched the battle droids, waiting for the perfect opportunity to run. 

 

"Run for the cockpit," you whispered. "We can hide in there with R2. You go first and I'll meet you. We can hide there until it's over, it'll be safer than down here." He nodded, knowing you were right, and R2 called to you again. You gave Ani a gentle nudge and he sprinted for the cockpit, scrambling up the side of the fighter and hauling himself inside. 

 

As you went to run after him, a battle droid caught your movement and shot in your direction. You narrowly dodged a bolt, which exploded on the wall behind you when you ducked back behind the pillar. The other fighters rocketed out of the hangar, and you peeked around the opposite side of the pillar, watching as Padmé and her group shot at the battle droids. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had ignited their lightsabers as well, green and blue respectively, and were deflecting the blaster bolts as fast as the droids shot them. You turned around, watching the battle droids, and when you felt you could run, you did. Another bolt exploded just behind you as you ducked behind the ship's landing gear. 

 

"Come on!" Anakin called down to you, but a flurry of blaster bolts flew directly through your path, sending you scrambling backward, wide-eyed. R2 beeped and whistled at you, and you gave him a helpless look, gesturing at the stray blaster bolts flying through the airspace. If you didn't stay put, you were going to be roasted bug squash.

 

There was a commotion at the door, and you peeked around the landing gear to see Captain Panaka's team rush into the hangar, firing at the battle droids. The last few collapsed, and you watched as the groups converged, discussing the location of the Viceroy. They began to head for the exit.

 

"Hey, wait for us!" Anakin called. You saw his hands on the fighter’s shell, ready to climb out and jump down.

 

"Stay where you are. You'll be safe there," Qui-Gon said. You heard Anakin start to protest, but Qui-Gon's expression turned stern. "Stay in that cockpit." You suddenly realized that they didn't know you were there. They clearly thought you were in the cockpit with him. You made to dash out again, but a movement caught your eye. A few droids rolled in at the opposite end of the hangar, activating their shields as they unfolded. You shrank back, anticipating more flying blaster bolts. You looked back to call to Padmé and her group, but they already saw the droids, and were running for cover. You caught sight of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon heading through the exit, lightsabers at the ready. R2 whistled at Anakin, and you knew he was telling him about those droids too.

 

"We gotta do something," he yelled, and you heard him frantically pushing buttons, figuring out what was what. "(Y/n), get in!" 

 

You took the opportunity to bolt, flinching as you ran in case the new droids used you for target practice, and scrambled onto the ship's wing. As you did, the glass dome slid shut, blocking any chance of you getting inside the fighter. R2 beeped frantically, and Anakin looked up, wide-eyed. 

 

"Hang on!" He yelled, but you could scarcely hear him through the thick glass. He pushed more buttons. The entire fighter shuddered as it fired off a shot, blasting one of the new droids clean off its feet. You gave a small cheer in spite of your fear, but kept low, in case it alerted the other droids to your presence. Anakin knocked on the glass and you looked at him. "I can't figure out how to get it open," he yelled. "I think it's going on autopilot!" You heard the telltale click of the landing gear locking up into place, and the wing vibrated under your hands as it began to levitate.

 

"Can you get it off autopilot?" You yelled back, but none of the buttons he was pushing were working. The ship began to turn, aligning itself for take off. Anakin took the opportunity to fire off more shots, taking out the last two powerful droids. He found the cockpit lever and pulled it, but the glass didn't slide back. You shared a look, knowing the autopilot had locked the controls, and that there was no way you could get inside before the fighter carried you out to space. Resigned, you nodded at him, giving him a thumbs up and a smile you hoped was reassuring. By the look on his face, you guessed you didn't succeed in that endeavor, but he smiled back, giving you a thumbs up in return.

 

 Then you took a deep breath, slid down the wing, and dropped to the floor of the hangar.

 

 Pressing yourself flat to the floor, you watched as the ship finished turning. R2 whistled and beeped back at you. Then the engines fired, sending Anakin flying out of the hangar in the fighter with a flash of light and a blast of sound. You rolled over, moving to push yourself up and scramble to your feet, and froze.


	23. Battle of Naboo: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin is taking podracing to a whole new level. You are panicking like never before.
> 
> So is Obi-Wan.
> 
> Darth Maul is likely just relieved to not be sweltering in all those robes in a hot desert climate now.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stood in the hangar, facing down the exit as its twin doors slid open. Between them, you saw the black-clad man from Tattooine, all red skin and black tattoos and short horns ringing his head. He plucked a lightsaber from his hip and dramatically held it horizontally in front of him. It ignited in a streak of brilliant red, and you felt your stomach sink as a second blade shot out of the opposite end. Nobody seemed to notice you, crouched on the floor in the middle of the hangar, as the stranger lunged for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

 

You moved without thinking, bolting towards a massive set of doors. The swinging drone of lightsabers drew nearer and you ducked behind a pillar, trying to assess if you had time to figure out how to open the doors. The electric snap of lightsabers just around the pillar corner told you that you absolutely did not. You flinched as the keypad exploded in a burst of white sparks, a bit of debris having launched itself across the room to smash it. The doors rolled open. Without thinking, you bolted for the opening, only catching a whirl of multicolored lights clashing in the edge of your vision as you ran. 

 

Your eyes flicked around as you panicked, looking for a place to hide, but there were no pillars, only massive power beams shooting down through a maze of catwalks. The sound of buzzing, droning lightsabers was quickly gaining on you. You spared a glance back and saw Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan warding off the blades of the double lightsaber, which was being quickly spun at them.

 

You cast another glance around again and saw a doorway at the other end of a lower catwalk, seemingly the only other exit. A small metal ladder attached to the wall led down to the lower levels and you ran for it, dropping to the floor and swinging your legs over. You froze again, only your eyes visible over the edge of the catwalk, as the trio of fighters came through the door in a lightsaber whirlwind. You were mesmerized, watching them parry and strike impossibly fast. You almost couldn't take your eyes off the battle, their techniques fascinating as you watched and made note of both parties' moves, but they fell out of sight behind an energy beam as they moved down the catwalk. You looked back at the door to the hangar, considering going back the way you came, but it felt wrong to go that way. Looking down to the other door, you felt your heart skip as it told you where to go.

 

You hurriedly took the thin rungs of the ladder, rushing down to the other catwalk. The slick floor nearly knocked your feet from under you as you jumped from the ladder, sprinting towards the door. You slid to a stop as a red screen closed in front of you, several more similar screens shutting in succession behind it. Something told you not to touch its staticy, electrically humming surface, and it was a risk you were not about to take. Whatever it was made of, you were certain you would be secure hiding behind it. 

 

You stood close to the doorway, watching the red screen from the corner of your eye as you looked up, trying to watch the lightsaber battle from below. A body fell past you, and you bit back a yelp as Obi-Wan plummeted, hitting the catwalk below and rolling off. You had nearly forgotten that you were supposed to be hiding, moving to see if he was alright. A rush of relief washed over you when you saw his hands on the catwalk, then his arm as he pulled himself up.

 

The red screen vanished from the doorway. You jumped as a black figure dropped down onto your catwalk, tall and imposing, red sabers gleaming as he grinned darkly at Qui-Gon. You turned and ran through the doorway, sprinting past more screen generators. The clashing of lightsabers filled the air as you kept moving, not needing to turn around to know that Qui-Gon had jumped down to meet the dark fighter. 

 

Your eyes went wide as the screens began to reactivate, fear setting in again as the sharp snapping of the battle behind you came closer. You passed a generator and made a sharp right, slipping on the floor as you tried to turn. The hot static of the next door prickled your skin as you passed within inches of it, turning on your heel and pressing your back flush against the wall to hide behind the moving pieces. One screen separated yourself and the next space, a circular room with a deep-looking pit in the middle. 

 

You leaned forward, inch by inch to look the way you had come, and nearly shrank back into the wall itself as you peered past the generator mechanism. A thin film of red power was all that separated yourself and the black-clad warrior. A resounding snap echoed through the hall as he hit the barrier with one end of his saber, shorting it out with a faint electric buzz. He moved slightly as he looked down at it and you saw Qui-Gon beyond the next door. You watched as he knelt down, disengaging his saber. He closed his eyes, you could have sworn he had decided to take the opportunity to meditate. Far beyond him, you saw the faint reddish outline of Obi-Wan through the layers of red doors. You only got an impression of him, barely being able to clearly see the bright blue line of his still-ignited lightsaber. The dark warrior began to pace back and forth restlessly as he waited for the door to open. You knew that if you were in Qui-Gon's position, you would probably be pacing too. The situation had too much energy, too much chaos. You had no idea how Qui-Gon could be meditating right now, and you held your breath, hoping he reacted in time when the door opened. You knew the red-sabered fighter wouldn't waste any time striking at him.

 

The field between yourself and the next room vanished and you moved without thinking, whirling and running. You heard lightsabers igniting behind you as you sprinted for the far right corner of the room. The support pillars here offered no space to hide compared to the hangar, but there was just enough room for you to press your small form into the corner, out of sight. You watched, cautiously peeking around the corner of the pillar, as Qui-Gon and the other man came through the door. Qui-Gon fought the other man with a kind of precise ferocity. Obi-Wan slid to a stop as the last field door activated inches from his nose. As far as you could tell, none of them had noticed your presence or your running, and you felt a sliver of relief through the wall of tension in your chest. You didn't want to split the Jedi's focus by making your presence known. The lightsabers swirled masterfully as they fought around the pit. You pressed yourself further into the corner as the red sabered fighter drove Qui-Gon back towards where you were hiding; but you couldn’t break away from watching their fight. They whirled, exchanging places as Qui-Gon dodged a blow. You flinched as the horned man shot forward, jamming the handle of his saber into Qui-Gon's jaw. 

 

And he buried his lightsaber in Qui-Gon's chest.


	24. Battle of Naboo: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Obi-Wan don't take Qui-Gon's death well. 
> 
> Darth Maul is 'just doing his job' for Sidious. 
> 
> We'll see where this gets everyone.

You locked eyes with the older Jedi as he finally saw you, and you saw realization and calm knowing in them, with only a hint of surprise, and no small amount of concern. You couldn't fathom how dying that way actually felt, but you supposed it was a physical form of the white hot emotion that settled itself in the center of your chest, burning through your throat and stomach in a wave of disbelief and pain. You screamed his name, eyes wide; rather, you felt yourself scream, the tension feeling like it would tear a hole in your throat. Your voice melded with Obi-Wan's as he howled, devastated, unable to do anything from the other side of the barrier. The stranger pulled out the lightsaber, letting Qui-Gon collapse in a heap. The fallen Jedi’s lightsaber skittered across the glossy floor, landing near your feet . Your eyes swam and burned, and you felt your chest shudder. Hot tears ran down your cheeks as you squeezed your eyes shut, failing to hold them back as you intended. The stranger strode away, sweeping over Qui-Gon passively as he headed for Obi-Wan, who was still trapped behind the red barrier.

 

 The pain that had settled in your chest flared, rage racing through you like a starship fuel fire. Qui-Gon had been your first mentor, your rock; he was your advocate in the swirling tide your life had become, and would no longer be. Now, the sheer _audacity_ that this stranger had, to think he could cut down Obi-Wan the same way ignited something unfamiliar in you, something fearsome and loathing. Your eyes burned with fury as you leveled a glare at the stranger, and all you wanted was to see him collapse like Qui-Gon had, dead and defeated. You took a deep gasp against your shaking lungs, your breaths coming fast as you steeled yourself. Bolting from your hiding spot, you snatched up Qui-Gon's lightsaber from the floor as you raced across the room. It was heavy in your hand, and about two times too big for you, but you plunged on, barreling towards the stranger. You gave a shrieking war cry of raw anger as you pressed the button, igniting the lightsaber in a flash of green.

 

The stranger whirled, and his unnatural, red rimmed gold eyes went wide in genuine shock. He ignited his lightsaber just as you reached him and swung the red beam downwards. You swung up to meet his blow, holding the lightsaber with both hands as you pushed back, keeping his lightsaber in place as you locked eyes with him, eyes boiling. He pushed down, trying to overtake your strength. The overwhelming fury that buzzed through you threatened to take over, but you closed your eyes and focused, trying to follow your instincts. Your eyes flashed open as the rerouted pain and anger coursed through you. The realization of what you had done by revealing yourself hit you, and a burst of terror joined your other emotions as you stared up at your opponent--an opponent who was much taller, larger, and stronger than you--and the wicked, bloodthirsty look in his eyes. You channeled that cocktail of rage and fear into your movement, gritting your teeth as you pushed back with a second wind. The lightsabers slid along each other with a pale yellow crackle of light, then broke apart as you pushed through his attack, sending his saber swinging down to the side. He sidestepped, narrowly dodging a blow as you swung, revealing a mortified Obi-Wan. He watched you with his mouth open and eyes wide, and every drop of blood drained from his face.

 

"(Y/n), what are you doing?" He yelled, but you didn't have a chance to answer before the other red blade ignited, and both spun towards you in a flurry of precise, trained motion. Time seemed to slow, and through the directed chaos in your mind, you remembered Qui-Gon's words, almost as clearly as if he were speaking them to you now.

 

_“Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel. Don't think. Use your instincts. Trust them, and don't hesitate.”_

 

Your hands seemed to move on their own as you redirected the energy screaming through your body again, letting your instincts take over. You blocked the dark stranger's blows, hitting back hard enough that his lightsaber glanced away. Your eyes couldn't keep up with your own movements, but as you continued to duel, you realized you were doing more than just blocking blows. The lightsaber seemed to speak to you, directing your actions through your instincts. Some part of you knew that your movements were slow and clumsy for what they could be, compared to the Jedi and whoever your opponent was, but you gave it your all. You felt the lightsaber resisting  the full force of the energy you put forth into your efforts, allowing just enough to keep the fight going. Just enough that you kept the tattooed man distracted from Obi-Wan. 

 

A movement in the corner of your eye broke your concentration for only a second, and you felt the lightsaber slip out of the parry. Losing your balance, you pitched forward slightly as your opponent pushed the other side of his double edged saber forward. You smelled the burnt cloth and flesh only a second before the pain in your upper arm flashed a red mist in your vision, searing and unbearable. A blood curdling scream escaped your throat, but you didn't have time to dwell on it. The other side of the red saber sliced through the air, and you thrust out the saber, willing your arm not to give out. The physical pain bled into the emotional, sending a new, determined rush of strengthening energy into your blow, the last hope for your failing arm.

 

You flinched away as the red saber came down, expecting the fighter to cut right through your defense, but the blow never came. You looked up to see his red saber, frozen only a foot from your face, caught in a crossguard of blue and green light. The stranger looked between the two sabers, clearly not having anticipated this, and you followed his gaze up the blue saber. Obi-Wan moved slightly, putting himself between you and your opponent as best he could without risking putting himself in the fallout of your saber. He looked down at you, and you saw your emotions echoed in the tight lines of his face, in the tortured look in his eyes.

 

"What are you doing here?" He asked again, calmer this time. He wasn't angry at you; rather, he seemed concerned. You were almost certain that he was scared, too, for your safety. The dark fighter moved, disengaging the crossguard, and your and Obi-Wan's sabers slid apart. You made sure to swing it clean out of the way of him. The red sabers spun as the warrior seemed to recalibrate his position, ready to take on you both. He did so a moment later, and you and Obi-Wan moved in unison. You directed the fiery energy coursing through you into regaining your previous state of instinct driven movement, and it seemed to work. Your movements became as smooth as your inexperienced self could manage, doing things you knew you shouldn't know, but somehow did, and you understood each one. 

 

"I'm helping," you finally answered. Your breath still came in raging, panting puffs as you slashed at and blocked the fighter alongside Obi-Wan, blue and green clashing against red in flashes of white. 

 

"I can handle it myself." You heard the sharpness in his tone, the same sort of offended, insecure anger he’d had when Qui-Gon told the council he was ready for his Trials. 

 

"You were trapped." The lightsabers whined through the air with a steady hum, nearly drowning out your voice when they clashed. "I couldn't just hide."

 

He batted away the fighter's saber, sending the tattooed man stumbling back a couple steps. Obi-Wan took the opportunity to look down at you, and you met his eyes. The look in them told you he was just as upset as you were, minus the tear tracks that ran down your face, and he seemed to understand why you ran out swinging. His face told you he would have done the exact same thing if the barrier hadn't held him back. The moment ended as quickly as it had begun, and the fighter flew forward, red sabers blazing bright. 

 

The pair of you parried his double blow in unison, and you fought with a shared determined ferocity.  You recoiled as Obi-Wan's lightsaber cut clean through the stranger's saber handle, splitting it in half with a shower of sparks. One side went dark with an electric fizzle, and flew out of reach as Obi-Wan kicked your opponent backwards, knocking him flat on his spine. Obi-Wan tried to strike him down where he lay, but the man parried, sending him flipping over his body. You stepped back a few paces and tightened your grip on the lightsaber as he flipped to his feet, easily separating you from Obi-Wan. He came at you, and you let the lightsaber channel your instincts, parrying and slashing at him. You hardly saw Obi-Wan rush up behind him, but he whirled to block his attack. Your lightsaber swung and the edge caught him across the back, leaving a searing trail from his shoulder to his hip. He almost didn't seem to notice, aiming a hard kick at Obi-Wan's face. Obi-Wan flipped backwards and the dark warrior ket coming, lunging and slashing and spinning out of the way. Obi-Wan made use of one such evasive spin and got between him and you again. You copied his defensive position, blinking as you fought to clear tears and angry fog from your vision. 

 

The fury that had filled you still coursed through you, but the saber's strange control limited what you could use to fight. You were panting,  trying your hardest not to sob, but you could still feel tears pricking your eyes. The warrior came back at the same time Obi-Wan lunged forward, and they parried each other's slashing, fluid blows. You did your best to keep out of Obi-Wan's way, not wanting him to get hurt trying to protect you, but you were ready to jump back in at a moment's notice. Obi-Wan blocked a slash, pinning the warrior's saber an inch from his face. You caught his expression; his teeth were grit in determination, but the rest of his face was intense and lined with a rage and hurt that you understood.  Past Obi-Wan, you saw the warrior's eyes shift from him to you.

 

The world spun as he shot out a hand towards you, sparing it from his lightsaber for only a second. It didn't register that you were airborne and flying backwards until you realized you were plummeting towards the floor on the other side of the pit. You had enough sense to press the button on the green lightsaber, deactivating it before you smacked into the bottom of the wall. You landed on the floor with a thud, hearing the lightsaber skitter away. 

 

With no concern for the new pain in your body, your head snapped to Obi-Wan and the stranger just in time to see their lightsabers hiss apart. In a blink of your eyes, the man thrust out his hand towards Obi-Wan, who also flew backwards, hitting the floor with his shoulder before the momentum carried him over the edge of the pit.

"Obi-Wan!" you screamed, scrambling to your feet. You snatched Qui-Gon's lightsaber again as you ran towards the pit. A faint thread of relief raced through your terror as you slid to a stop at the edge, seeing Obi-Wan clinging to a light on the side of the pit. The stranger stalked to the edge just above him, sneering down. Obi-Wan twisted to look at you, meeting your wide, terrified eyes. He offered you a slight smile that tried to be reassuring.

 

"I am alright," he called, giving you a small nod. The stranger's sneer widened, and you both watched as his foot hooked Obi-Wan's lightsaber, sending it arcing down into the pit. He looked back over his shoulder again, watching it fall, and you felt the look on your face grow more hopeless. "Okay, I am a little less alright now." 

 

You thought  quickly, looking from Obi-Wan to the stranger, then down to the lightsaber in your hand. The stranger looked across the pit to where you were, and seemed surprised to see you still standing. It was difficult to discern much other emotion in those wide, hateful eyes. You kept your eyes on him as you rounded the pit, standing near where Qui-Gon lay as you took the saber in both hands again, pushing the button. The green blade shot straight upward and you slid into what you assumed was a bracing position.

 

"Hey, Bantha dung," you yelled. He slashed across the edge of the pit with his saber, sending a shower of sparks down into Obi-Wan's face, seeming to ignore you. "Why don't you come fight a little girl?" You braced again, knowing that the end of your sentence wasn't the best thing to say to someone that deadly. "Unless you're too weak?"

 

That got his attention, and he dragged the saber back across the pit's edge as he began to stalk toward you. You backed up slowly, matching his advance step for step as you led him around the pit. Obi-Wan strained to see what was happening as you stopped, exactly halfway around the pit from where you had been. The stranger swirled his lightsaber in anticipation, then lunged. You blocked a few of his blows, then feinted right. He moved to block you, and you swung your saber over his, catching the bridge of his nose with the blade. 

 

This time, the stranger scrunched his eyes shut, bringing a hand to his face with a snarl. You turned on your heel and ran, barely getting a head start before you heard his footsteps fast behind you. It was just enough time. You dropped to the floor above Obi-Wan and pressed off the saber, stretching down to him.

 

"Here!" You said, and he risked a hand to grab it. The dark warrior rushed towards you and you scrambled out of the way, now defenseless, narrowly missing a cutting blow of his saber. You backed up a few steps, wary of the shifting doors.

 

Obi-Wan jumped from the pit, and the stranger whirled, parrying his downstroke and sending the Jedi flipping over his head. Obi-Wan landed neatly between him and you. You scarcely saw what happened. Their sabers met once, then twice. The man made to slash at him, but Obi-Wan was faster. He dragged his lightsaber through his middle in a flash of light, and the man blinked, frozen in shock. He tipped backward and you saw the burned slit of his stomach open slightly, and as he fell, his body split in two, somersaulting. His saber clattered to the floor, red blade vanishing as it landed and rolled to your feet. You tightened your jaw as the weapon reached out to you, like Qui-Gon's had, but it seemed to vie for your attention in a way his hadn't, latching onto the emotions coursing through you. You picked it up, holding onto it for only a moment; then you threw the saber in after its owner, it's dark, radiating essence turning your stomach as its influence fell away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I did a little crying while writing this part initially, not gonna lie.


	25. Victories of Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is much to celebrate in the aftermath of the battle. There is also much to grieve.
> 
> Obi-Wan never thought he would have to do this alone.

You stood there for a moment, panting as the rage and pain continued to course through you, but it was quickly being replaced by the heavy weight of grief. Without speaking, you and Obi-Wan bolted for Qui-Gon together. Obi-Wan collapsed by his head, and you skidded to a stop, falling to your knees by his side. Your mouth fell open slightly as you realized that Qui-Gon was still alive. Obi-Wan sat him up, pulling his head into his lap.

 

"It's too late," Qui-Gon breathed, his voice scarcely more than a whisper.

 

Obi-Wan shook his head, and you saw his eyes glimmering as tears formed in them. They ran down his cheeks when he blinked. "No," he said, trying to reassure Qui-Gon, but you heard his voice break. You took Qui-Gon's hand and the Jedi Master moved slightly, looking at you.

 

"You," he said, trying to push out the words. "You were supposed to stay in the cockpit."

 

"I never made it to the cockpit," you said quietly, and Obi-Wan looked up at you in surprise. "You told me to find a safe place to hide. You said once that if I stayed close to you, I would be safe." You did your best to contain your tears, but it was no use as they began to streak down your face. “I did both.”

 

Qui-Gon smiled faintly. "Bold...and inquisitive," he said softly. When you met his eyes, you saw a sort of pride there. The moment was over in a second as he turned his head, slowly looking up at Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan, promise," he croaked, his voice sounding desperate as he tried to get the words out. "Promise me you'll train them."

 

Obi-Wan nodded, trying and failing to conceal his crying. You knew he wanted to insist that Qui-Gon would be able to train you, that he would be okay. He didn't because they both knew it would only waste precious time to talk about other things. "Yes Master," he agreed, and Qui-Gon smiled.

 

"They are the Chosen Ones," Qui-Gon breathed. "They will bring balance." His breathing became shallow, and each word seemed to take a world's worth of effort to say. "Train them!"

 

Obi-Wan nodded. You saw Qui-Gon visibly relax. He didn't move. Obi-Wan finally let go, leaning over him as he sobbed, and the room felt noticeably emptier. It hit you then that Qui-Gon was dead, and it shattered any resolve you might have had. You cried too, disbelief taking over. Obi-Wan's grief broke your heart. You could feel the pain coming off him in waves, and you shared in it, taking Qui-Gon's limp hand as you cried with him, pressing into his side in the only gesture of comfort you could muster.

 

You didn't know how long the pair of you stayed there, mourning over Qui-Gon's body. It felt like hours. Your shuddering sobs had slowed into quiet tears. Obi-Wan sat up slowly, and you glimpsed the look on his face. He looked utterly destroyed. He looked at you, and you saw a kinship in his eyes, as if he saw the same emotions shared on your face. He sniffed and blinked back his slow stream of tears, trying to put himself back together.

 

"We need to go," he said quietly, looking back down at Qui-Gon. His face was too pale now, his body too still as he laid in the puddle his cloak made around him. Another wave of painful denial bubbled through your chest. "The Council will already know he is gone."

 

You nodded, knowing he was right. Part of you wondered how they knew, but you were sure it was a Jedi thing. He took a deep, steadying breath beside you, then slid his arms beneath Qui-Gon's body, slowly lifting him as he got to his feet. You followed suit, picking up the lightsaber from where it had been left, and slowly followed Obi-Wan as he led the way back through the shifting doors. You stared at nothing, trying to process the devastated ache in your heart, but tears slowly dripped from your lashes.

When you finally came through the doors to the hangar, the fighter team had returned. A few of the ships were missing, as were their pilots. Your eyes darted frantically, searching the crowd. They locked with another pair, bright blue. 

"Ani!" You yelled, and you bolted to meet him. He yelled your name and started running too, and the pair of you slammed together in a hug in the middle of the hangar. Some of the pilots chuckled. You clung to him as if you had no intent to ever let go. Tears pricked your eyes again as relief washed through you, glad he was alright.

"(Y/n), you're not gonna believe it! We went up into space, and we fought the droid ship, and I destroyed it! Well, it was an accident, I sort of fell in and exploded their power cells, but we did it!" He blurted, excitement buzzing off him. 

"That's amazing Ani," you mumbled into his shoulder. You were trying to sound excited, but you couldn't muster it through the heavy sadness that settled in your chest. "I can't believe you did it."

He pulled back, beaming, but his smile faded as he looked at your face. "(Y/n)? What's wrong?"

"Qui-Gon's dead," you told him, the words choking in your throat. "The man who attacked us on Tatooine was here. He killed him."

Anakin's eyes widened and he looked past you. Obi-Wan came through the door, cradling Qui-Gon's body in his arms, and you heard Ani whisper, "no." The pilots fell silent behind you, where they had been talking and celebrating. Obi-Wan had the same thousand mile stare of disbelief that you were fighting, and you took Anakin's hand, giving it a slight tug. "Let's go," you said quietly, and you both fell in line, following just behind Obi-Wan's side.

Inside the main palace, Obi-Wan found a couch, and he carefully laid Qui-Gon's body on it. You watched as he slid his Master’s eyes closed, then squeezed his own shut, forcing himself to remain composed. 

A group of people came down the stairs, and you recognized many of them as Padmé's team. They were guiding a nervous pair of amphibious-looking aliens to the lower floor, their massive eyes wide. Captain Panaka broke from the group, approaching Obi-Wan. "The Viceroy has been apprehended. We informed Senator Palpatine of the situation and he is on his way. He said some of your people are with him. They will be here momentarily." 

Obi-Wan nodded. "Thank you." Panaka looked to where Qui-Gon lay, then back to Obi-Wan in understanding. He clapped his shoulder gently as they continued to lead the aliens, apparently the Viceroy, towards the hangar courtyard. Anakin watched Padmé go, and she smiled at him. Obi-Wan gave Anakin a small nod, silently giving him permission to follow after her. Anakin gave your hand one more squeeze before going to catch up, walking dutifully as if he were part of the arresting authority.

You sat down on a chair, staring at the carpet. Despite the stranger having been killed, the utter despair of defeat sat heavy in your chest. Obi-Wan's boots entered your field of vision as he walked up to you, and he knelt on one knee beside the chair to look at you. You slowly met his gaze, your wide (e/c) eyes glassy and puffy from crying.

"How did you do it?" He asked quietly, and you furrowed your brow. "How did you fight like that without training?"

You looked down. "I," you hesitated, trying to explain it. "I don't know." You pulled the lightsaber from where your skirt had draped over it, holding it in your hands. "It was like the lightsaber told me what to do. I can’t really explain it." Obi-Wan's hand covered yours atop the saber, and you sniffled. "Does it have to be buried with him?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "He will not be buried," he explained. "The Jedi honor the dead differently, but his saber won't go with him. It will be returned to the Jedi Temple."

You nodded and looked up then, tears wavering in your vision again. "I can't believe he's gone," you said quietly.

Obi-Wan offered a crumpled smile. "Nobody is ever really gone, (y/n). Not really." You felt your face scrunch with confusion. He continued. "When we die, we become one with the Force, and live on in it's strength. Master Qui-Gon will always be with us." The pressing weight of grief lessened at that. You knew you would still miss him, but it seemed a little less permanent of a loss. You cast your arms around Obi-Wan's neck, blinking back a few tears unsuccessfully. They dripped onto the shoulder of his tunic. He hesitated, taken aback, but you felt his shoulders relax as he returned your embrace, awkwardly patting your back. 

A ship droned as it approached, and Obi-Wan gently peeled you off, standing quickly. You saw him wipe at his eyes, trying to remove evidence of crying. You did the same, getting the sense something important was about to happen that didn't take despairing, grief ridden Jedi as a wardrobe choice. "That will be Senator Palpatine and the Jedi Council," he explained, seeming to sense your confusion. His voice was still gravelly, but otherwise, he had done a fair enough job of making himself look like he hadn't shed a tear. "It is unbecoming of a Jedi to show our emotions. It goes against the Code." 

"The Code?"

He nodded. "The Jedi follow a strict Code. I will teach it to you later. You will need to know it. For now, we must meet with the arrivals."

You nodded, swallowing the lump of tears that sat in your throat. "Here," you said quietly, holding out the lightsaber for him to take. 

He did so gently, holding it almost reverently. "Thank you," he said, offering you another small smile. "Let's go see who all came."


	26. Arrest of the Viceroy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter to bridge some gaps.

The massive ship landed in the courtyard outside the hangar. You followed Obi-Wan dutifully as he caught up to the escorting group, nodding to Padmé and Panaka as he joined them. Anakin came to your side, winding his hand into yours. Padmé watched as the engines died to a low idle before turning back to the two strange individuals. "Now, Viceroy, you are going to have to go back to the Senate and explain all of this," she said, sounding pleased with the outcome of the situation.

 

Panaka chimed in. "I think you can kiss your trade franchise goodbye." The two individuals looked at each other nervously, and you couldn't believe that these two bug eyed aliens in formal wear had caused all of this. The ramp descended from the ship behind you, and you saw some Republic guards descend, heading in your direction. Panaka nodded to Obi-Wan, and together they led the Viceroy to the guards, who escorted them on board the ship. Padmé moved to stand near you, and Obi-Wan flashed her a grim smile as he took his place beside you and Anakin.

 

As they vanished around the doorway at the top of the ramp, Senator Palpatine appeared, striding down the ramp with a self satisfied smile. Your stomach twisted into a knot at the sight of those unnerving eyes and strange, unsettling smile. He was the last person you wanted to see right now, and you still could not discern exactly what it was about him that made you uncomfortable. You were too tired, too upset to think on it right now, and decided that it must just be his face. Behind him, the Jedi High Council exited the ship. Obi-Wan had mentioned they would be there, but you hadn't realized how much you dreaded their arrival until you saw them. You wanted to groan in frustration. A whole flock of judgment and prejudice was the last thing you wanted to face right now. Palpatine strode up to Obi-Wan and Padmé, smiling wide. Obi-Wan bowed, and you and Anakin followed suit. You were beginning to catch onto these things.

 

"We are indebted to you for your bravery, Obi-Wan Kenobi," Palpatine said cheerily. The Jedi bowed his head, but Palpatine moved on without hardly acknowledging it. He looked between yourself and Anakin, giving you both a smile you could have sworn was half patronizing. Then again, you decided, that might have just been his face too. "And both of you, young Skywalker and young (l/n), we will watch your careers with great interest." You both gave him a half smile.

 

Padmé moved forward, saving each of you the trouble of finding something to say. "Congratulations on your election, Chancellor," she said smoothly. 

 

He smiled again, another self-satisfied little grin. "Your boldness has saved our people, Your Majesty," he replied. "It is you who should be congratulated. Together, we shall bring peace and prosperity to the Republic." 

 

You quickly lost interest in their conversation, turning to watch as the Jedi Council strolled towards the door of the palace. You spied Yoda and Mace Windu at the head of the group, and the high-headed Jedi's forehead stuck up above most of their heads, save for the Jedi who had tested you. His neck swayed casually as he followed the group. One of them gave Obi-Wan a nod, and he stepped in front of the two of you, kneeling down.

 

"I must go speak to the Council. Wait here for me. If it gets uncomfortable being outside, or the square crowds, wait for me just inside those doors." You both nodded your agreement.

 

"Can't we come with you?" Anakin asked. He hadn't said much since you had told him about Qui-Gon. You got the sense you had ultimately burst his bubble.

 

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No. I must meet with them alone."

 

"Because they don't like us?" You deadpanned. Obi-Wan gave you a look that was half reassuring, half apologetic.

 

"Just wait here." He patted your and Ani's shoulders, then stood, following in the direction they had gone. You and Anakin sat down on the steps of the palace to wait as you were told. After facing off with the dark warrior and watching Qui-Gon die, you didn't have any fight left to defy and follow him.


	27. Yoda and Obi-Wan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another mini-chapter!
> 
> Obi-Wan has grown to care for you both during your short time together, and nothing will stop him from carrying out Qui-Gon's last wishes.

"Confer on you, the level of Jedi Knight the Council does." Yoda paced around a knelt Obi-Wan, rubbing his three-fingered hands together. He fixed the Jedi with a stern stare. "But agree on you taking either child as your Padawan learner, I do not."

 

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. Several arguments popped into his head. "Qui-Gon believed in them."

 

Yoda narrowed his eyes, continuing to wander in a circle as he paced. "The Chosen Ones they may be. Nevertheless, grave danger I fear in their training. Only one Padawan learner you may take, in any case."

 

Obi-Wan's eyes flashed, but he maintained his composure. "Master Yoda, I gave Qui-Gon my word. I will train them both, without the Council's approval if I must." 

 

Yoda hummed. "Qui-Gon's defiance, I sense in you," he said, stopping in front of Obi-Wan. "Need it, you do not. Agree with you, the Council does. Bent the Code, they have. Your apprentices, Skywalker and (l/n) will be." His tone was begrudging and disapproving in equal measure.

 

Obi-Wan stared at Yoda, stunned. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, having expected to need to put up a bigger fight. Yoda raised his wispy eyebrows, and Obi-Wan found his words, deciding not to risk saying anything that would change their decision. "Thank you, Master Yoda," he said, bowing his head.

 

"At sunrise, your ceremony will be. Prepare your Padawans, you must. Make the Oath after your Knighting, they will. Their robes, you will be brought tonight." Yoda looked at Obi-Wan, a sliver of curiosity entering his gaze. "More to say, have you?"

 

Obi-Wan sighed, then nodded. "Master Qui-Gon said that one of the children, the girl, was something called a Vamaelyn. What is that?"

 

Yoda's ears twitched, and he hummed thoughtfully. "An extinct species, the Vamaelyn are. In a thousand years, no sign of them. Attuned to the cosmic Force, and masters of the living Force, they were. Many exceptions to the rules, they had, and no reason for their disappearance. Believed the Sith killed them, it was. Very interesting."

 

Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully, and the end of the conversation seemed to come without any physical sign. Yoda folded his hands, silently dismissing Obi-Wan. "May the Force be with you." 


	28. The Funeral of Qui-Gon Jinn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A beautiful ceremony for a kind and revered Jedi. 
> 
> Unfortunately, nothing is exempt from speculation and discussion.

Obi-Wan had retrieved you and Anakin some time after he had left to speak to the Council. The sky had gone from blue to a dusky lavender, and the warmth of the day gave in to a humid, temperate evening. He had bandaged your arm; the red lightsaber had sliced a hole clean through your dress sleeve, exposing the cauterized slash to the air. The pain had been forgotten in all the excitement, but the remaining nerves ached as he'd wrapped it in gauze with an infection-preventing ointment.

 

 Now, you followed behind a hooded Obi-Wan, you and Anakin almost on either side of him. The walk to the Funeral Temple seemed never ending, and the cool night air breezed gently around you. The domed roof loomed overhead. It was a peaceful place, you decided, quiet and soothing, despite the hard stone.

 

You felt tears in your throat as you followed Obi-Wan into the temple. Qui-Gon had been laid upon the pyre, looking peaceful and asleep, his tunic and cloak arranged around him neatly. The small moon shone through the open pillar walls over the heads of the other mourners. You saw many you recognized; the Jedi Council was there, as was Palpatine. Several Gungans, including Jar-Jar, had attended as well. Jar-Jar had filled everyone in on their battle and its success before his victorious joy was extinguished. R2 rolled across the floor to you, offering a few small beeps as you walked, and you rested a hand on his dome with a sad smile. Obi-Wan guided you both behind the small wall, stepping in front of it to stand near you, and everyone watched the pyre expectantly. 

 

The wood beneath Qui-Gon went up in flames. Within seconds, all you could make out of him through the brightness of the flames was his outline, as calm and pensive as ever. You could almost believe that he was meditating. Anakin's hand bumped yours as you reached for his, and you gave a gentle squeeze. Neither of you said anything; the emotion passed between you both, mutually understood. Tears stung your eyes, threatening to fall. Over the flames, you spotted Yoda and Mace Windu, watching your trio. You quickly blinked them back, swallowing the lump in your throat.

 

"What's going to happen to us now?" Ani asked softly,looking up at Obi-Wan. The Jedi broke his gaze from his burning predecessor, looking down at you both. You couldn't bring yourself to look away from the flames, even as you listened.

 

"The Council has granted me permission to train you both," he said quietly. "You will become Jedi, I promise." You felt a tension you didn't know you had relax from your system. You still missed Shmi, but you also didn't want to go back to that desert planet.

 

Over the flames, you saw Master Windu lean over to Yoda. You could barely make out the conversation, but you strained to hear over the crackle of burning wood and Jar-Jar's mourning whines. You heard something about a Sith, a master and an apprentice, and something being destroyed, but the rest was lost to the wind. Eventually the fire dipped low, its flames shrinking to almost embers. Qui-Gon's body was gone. Mourners slowly filed out of the temple, only breaking the silence with hushed whispers and murmurs.


	29. A Young Padawan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are tasked with preparing for your induction into the Order, and run into a snag.

You awoke to your shoulder being gently shaken. Sleep and puffiness made your eyes heavy, and they stung when you opened them. You had managed to hold yourself together as the funeral attendants filed out, Jedi order and all, and through the post-funeral formalities; but you had cried yourself to sleep, pressing your mouth to a wad of blankets to stifle your sobs. You cleared your raw throat, peering up at the person attached to the hand shaking you. Obi-Wan stood there, dressed in full Jedi garb.

 

"(Y/n), wake up," he said quietly, and you rolled onto your back, blinking away the film of stagnant tears. "You need to get ready."

 

"Get ready?" You murmured, eyebrows pulling together. "For what? Where are we going?"

 

"I am to be promoted to a Jedi Knight at dawn. You and Anakin are to take your padawan oaths right after that." You sat up, watching him blearily as he crossed the room to a footstool. Padmé had shown the three of you to a set of spare rooms near her quarters. The rest of the Jedi Council had been put up elsewhere, along with anyone who did not have a home within reasonable distance to return to. Your borrowed bed was an absurdity, spanning wide in all directions, with four posts at the corners, and you felt tiny. 

 

Obi-Wan crossed the richly decorated room to you again, a stack of fresh, clean clothes in his hands. You realized with a start that they were Jedi robes, small enough to fit you. "You will need to put these on. Get yourself cleaned up, and meet me in the hall in one hour," he instructed. 

 

You gave a tiny nod. He paused, seeming to check himself as he turned, and looked back at you. "Are you ready?" He asked.

 

You twisted the top blanket in your hands, running your thumbs over the Bantha fur. Now that the moment was here, you weren't entirely sure you were ready. "What am I supposed to say during the oath?" You asked quietly.

 

"We will go over the procedure once you are dressed," he assured you. His raised eyebrows kept the question open, as if to ask if you were ready outside of what to do during the ritual itself. 

 

You nodded then, letting out some of your nerves in a long breath. Your sob-recovering lungs made it shake. "I think so," you replied. You looked up as he gave a small bow, making to leave. "What about you? Are you ready?"

 

He stopped in his tracks, turning to look at you. "Yes," he said, offering a small smile. "I don't have to take the trials because I defeated a Sith--the man we fought in the power generator, with the red saber." Despite the terrible circumstances, you were glad that he had reconciled his insecurity, at least a little bit. He turned, leaving the room as quietly as he could.

 

At first you thought the curtains were drawn, but when you slid out of bed, you realized that Naboo's sun hadn't yet begun to rise. Tatooine's violet sky would have been split by a red streaked horizon by now. 

 

You gathered your things and showered in the adjacent bathroom, enjoying the hot water liberally, then dressed, pants first, then tunic and belt, looking yourself over in the mirror. You looked like a real Jedi now, but you didn't feel like one, not yet. Your long (h/c) hair draped down your torso in all directions, and you hastily tried to brush it into something reasonable.

You heard the door open and close in the main bedroom a little while later, and you were acutely aware that you were coming up on the hour mark. "I'm almost done," you called out, unable to keep the frantic tone from your voice.  You meet a pair of eyes in the mirror and dropped the chunks of hair you were desperately trying to plait together.

 

"I came to check on you," Padmé said, slipping into the bathroom. "Obi-Wan is beginning to panic. He just trimmed and fixed up Ani's hair to keep himself busy."

 

"I can't braid my hair," you said quietly. "Not the way I want to. Obi-Wan said my hair would have to be kept back. Mama Shmi was the one who always braided my hair. I never saw her do it cause she never braided her own, and...I can’t do it."

 

Padmé gave you a sad, but understanding smile. "Here, I can show you," she offered. You nodded earnestly. She passed you a hand mirror and turned you, making sure you could see the back of your head in the wall mirror. "I think I can figure out how she did it." She folded and twisted your hair a few times experimentally, making a few tweaks, then began to braid it, walking you through the process.

 

 When she was done, your hair was a near perfect replica of the braid your mother had done, with only a few deviations for simple accents. She pulled a loose chunk of hair together from behind your ear. "That will be for your Padawan braid," she explained.

 

"Thank you," you said, and she smiled down at you. 

 

"I've had a lot of practice. Braids are essential to a lot of our fashions," she explained modestly. You stepped forward, hugging her around her middle with a murmur of thanks, and she gave you a light embrace back. "You need to get going (y/n). Obi-Wan is going to wonder where you are."

 

 


	30. Dawn of a New Age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning of your induction to the Jedi Order is here. Are you ready?
> 
> In which a Padawan becomes a knight, only to teach those he so recently was.
> 
> Perhaps none of you are truly ready, under the circumstances. You'll just have to be.

You emerged from your room with Padmé one standard minute to the hour. Obi-Wan and Anakin were waiting in the hall. You almost didn't recognize Anakin at first; his hair had been cropped short, and styled into something similar to what Obi-Wan wore. The chunk of hair left for his braid was much shorter than yours, but there was just barely enough. Padmé excused herself, and Obi-Wan led you through the palace, explaining your part the whole way. As you approached the room, Obi-Wan had you both recite your lines once more. 

 

You entered the room, a masterless Padawan and two younglings, just as the sun began to color the horizon. The Council members turned to look as the three of you walked into the room. Obi-Wan held out a hand, silently guiding you to stop, and walked forward to meet them where they stood in a circle. A single lightsaber sat in the center of their circle on the floor. The silence seemed deafening as he padded into the center of the circle, dropping to one knee.

 

Yoda came forward, and none of the other Jedi seemed to remember you and Anakin standing there as the proceedings began. "We are all Jedi," he began. "The Force speaks through us. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real. Today, we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed." You and Anakin watched from the sidelines in awe. Part of you was surprised that Yoda wasn't speaking in his usual backwards fashion, but you supposed that this was too important to risk changing around words. 

 

He stepped up to Obi-Wan, and the Council members drew their lightsabers, igniting them and holding them vertically. Master Windu's sole, legendary violet blade stood out amongst them. Yoda ignited his  _ shoto _ saber in a flash of green, and it reminded you of Qui-Gon. Yoda held it steady in his three fingered hands as he continued the ritual. "Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said, lowering the green blade over one of his shoulders, then the other. "By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee Jedi Knight of the Republic." You flinched as the saber flashed by Obi-Wan's head, and let out a gasp you didn't realize you'd taken as you saw his rat tail braid fall to the floor, severed at his ear. Obi-Wan picked it up, then picked up the lightsaber, silently nodding his thanks as he turned on his heel, walking back towards you. You saw him stow his braid in his belt pouch, and he hooked the new lightsaber where his old one should have been.

 

He made another about face, and this time, you and Anakin followed him forward. He stopped short of the circle, and the Jedi spread slightly, forming a half-moon.

"I hereby take (y/n) (l/n) as my Padawan learner," he began, presenting you to the Council. 

 

You turned to face him and dropped to one knee, pushing away the doubt that told you you were going to forget your words mid oath. "I vow to follow the Jedi path," you said, hearing your small voice echoing back to you in the room. Bright scarlet light came through the high windows as the sun came over the horizon fully. "To study in reverence the Living Force, to defend and be faithful to Jediism, to keep always in the ways of the Light and to reject the Dark Reverse, to obey my superiors in rank and to fulfill the tasks, duties, or probes the Jedi Order may send to me. That I swear, upon my honor." The Council nodded in unison and you got to your feet, standing still as Obi-Wan took your loose hair and plaited it into a thin rat-tail. It hung over your shoulder when he finished, and swung forward as you bowed. You met his eyes for a brief second as you turned to walk away, silently thanking him. Anakin stepped forward, taking your place, and you silently exchanged nervous and encouraging looks. 

 

"I hereby also take Anakin Skywalker as my Padawan Learner," Obi-Wan declared.

 

 They repeated the ritual, but Obi-Wan braided some thin leather into Anakin's braid, making it just long enough to touch his shoulder. Without, it scarcely hung below his ear.

 

"We recognize (y/n) (l/n) and Anakin Skywalker as your Padawan learners. Pass on what you have learned," Yoda said. The Council deactivated their lightsabers, leaving the room lit solely by the golden glow of a new beginning. The Council dismissed your trio with a communal "May the Force be with you. 

 

The three of you bowed low, then turned and left, a Jedi Knight followed by his new Padawans. 


	31. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Gungan parade celebrates and marks the end of the Trade Federation's influence over Naboo, as well as a new alliance.

"When will we get lightsabers?" Anakin asked. You had been wondering the same thing since the ritual, but the morning's activities had distracted you from asking, like breakfast and packing. You were set to leave that evening, after the victory celebrations. Your things had already been loaded up into the ship Palpatine and the Jedi Council had arrived in. 

 

"Soon enough," Obi-Wan said. You knew you were both still feeling the effects of Qui-Gon's death, but something about the initiating rituals had made things feel right, like some balance had been reset. You wondered if that feeling was what Force-Qui-Gon felt, knowing you and Anakin were apprenticed. Knowing Obi-Wan was a full Jedi Knight. "When we return to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant--where you were tested--you will receive a wooden one to train with. Perhaps even skip the training saber stage," he said, casting a sideways glance at you, "and you can build your own to learn with. It is customary that a Jedi eventually builds their own permanent lightsaber."

 

"You didn't build that one," you said, nodding at his new saber. It gleamed in the sunlight as the three of you walked, heading towards the palace entry courtyard.

 

Obi-Wan laughed. "Well, the one I did build got tossed down a melting pit. Perhaps I will build another when we return, but it will serve its purpose for now." 

 

He led you down the main steps of the palace, stopping at the bottom of the upper set. The Jedi Council stood to the side, judging the goings on, and Padmé's handmaidens stood near them. Padmé was already there, dressed in an elaborate, flouncy pink gown. Chancellor Palpatine stood beside her, observing the gathering with a smug sort of smile. You didn't recognize the other man who stood there, dressed in blue, holding a violet-blue orb that bore crackling electricity inside. Hundreds of other people lined the long entry corridor, cheering.

 

You heard the Gungans before you saw them, their horns and drums calling out a victory cheer as they marched on parade. As they drew nearer, you realized that Jar-Jar was riding one of the _Kaadu_ , waving. You couldn't believe he could do both without unintentionally falling off the short tailed biped. You didn't recognize the other general riding a _Kaadu_ beside him, but you saw Boss Nass riding a quadruped some distance back. It took all your resolve not to smile as Jar-Jar swung down, almost smoothly; but his foot tangled in the reins, and he hopped around on the other as he untangled himself.

 

Boss Nass caught up, dismounting as the crowd threw flowers and confetti rained. He strode up the stairs, Jar-Jar and the other Gungan general at his side. He approached Padmé, bowing, and she took the bright orb from the blue clad man. The Gungan leader smiled wide as she carefully placed it in his hands. He turned to the crowd, lifting it over his head, and for a moment, you were afraid he was going to throw it. The globe seemed to shine brighter as he held it high.

 

"Peace!" He thundered, and the crowd roared in another cheer. You were just glad that he didn't do another of his spit-flinging head shakes.

 

You found Anakin's hand with your own and he gave it a squeeze, and despite the looming grief, you genuinely enjoyed the bright, happy event. He smiled at Padmé, and she looked over her ruffled dress shoulder, beaming wide. You offered a smile, too.

 

The parade began to disperse into a large celebration. Obi-Wan looked down at the pair of you, smiling a little wider than he had in the past day. "Come on, you two. Let's go enjoy the festivities."

 

 

 

_The first casualty of war is innocence._

_-SL Buckley_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this first installment of the Hearts of Kyber series!
> 
> Coming soon:  
> The Padawan Chronicles, Part 2 of the Hearts of Kyber series.  
> Begins 9/7/2019.
> 
> (I will be working on my other fics in the background, but Hearts of Kyber is currently my main series)


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